Thicker Than Water
by PrismaBat
Summary: Snaptrap has always been at odds with his siblings, Matt and Pat. As far as they're concerned, their little brother is a complete failure. But when Snaptrap sneaks aboard Matt's yacht to ruin his birthday bash, he soon finds himself fighting for his life alongside his siblings. And along the way, discovers that they all may have more in common than they realize.
1. Chapter 1 - Special Delivery

**Hey! Hey! Yet another TUFF story, this time featuring our favorite crazy rat. I was inspired to write this after seeing the episode, "Rat Trap," where we meet Snaptrap's relatives, including his brother and sister, Matt and Pat. "Rat Trap" sadly hasn't aired yet in the U.S., but it is available on Amazon.** **Check out the episode on the TUFF Wiki for more info on the episode including pics.**

**Matt, Pat, Verminious Snaptrap, and TUFF Puppy belong to Butch Hartman**

**Colette Parfume belongs to me.**

* * *

"Outta my way! Move it or lose it, Punk!"

Cars screeched and swerved out of the way as an evil looking, black armored car covered with spikes tore through the busy streets of Petropolis. Horns honked and drivers shook their fists angrily while cursing at the car's driver who was none other than Verminious Snaptrap, evil rat leader of DOOM. Snaptrap ignored them, the tires of the DOOM mobile screeching as he hastened to his destination, all the while complaining to himself.

"Great! Just great! I can't believe my stupid mom, is making me go all the way to the stupid beachfronts just so I can deliver a stupid birthday gift to my stupid brother! This is the worst day ever!"

The "stupid brother" in question was Snaptrap's older brother, Matt Snaptrap. Like Snaptrap(and other relatives of the family) Matt was in the villain business. And unlike Snaptrap, he was good at it. He was clever, crafty, successful, and wealthy, in other words everything the leader of DOOM wasn't...and Matt never failed to remind Snaptrap of it. It was bad enough that their mom always bragged about Matt and his accomplishments to Snaptrap, while at the same time expressing why her youngest son couldn't be more like his successful older brother. And now she was making Snaptrap take a box of her dozen homemade cookies all the way to the ocean shores, so her precious "Matti" can enjoy them for his special day. Snaptrap thought back bitterly to the conversation he and his mom had earlier:

"Verminious! Get your hairless tail in here, now!"

"Alright, Mom! Geez! What is it!"

"It's your brother, Matt's birthday today. I want you to take this box of cookies I baked for him."

"What?! You never make _me_ any cookies! What makes stupid Matt so special?!"

"Don't talk about your smarter and more accomplished brother that way! Now take these to him, or else!"

"Why didn't you just make them ahead of time and mail them?"

"Because I want a day of peace and quiet and I can't have that with you here! And I don't wanna spend money on postage. So unless you wanna spend the night in the park again you'll get movin!"

"Fine! But remember, it's _me_ who takes you to your back waxing!"

"Get going you reject!"

Snaptrap snorted in annoyance as his thoughts came back to reality. "Dumb Matt darn well better appreciate this," he muttered, "Move it, Grandma!" He grumbled as an elderly lady turtle leapt from the sidewalk into some nearby bushes. No doubt Matt would receive a visit from their sister Pat who, unfortunately for Snaptrap, was also very skilled at the whole villain thing. Just his luck both his older siblings would be better at it than him...and never let him forget it. Snaptrap though back to the Snaptrap family reunion where everyone was bragging about the criminal deeds they had accomplished for the year. And as usual, Snaptrap had been the butt of their jokes...including Matt and Pat's.

"Stupid Matt and Pat," he grumbled, "Always making me look bad. "Why couldn't I've been an only child? They're always pickin' on me. I never have any fun when I'm with them. Ever. Well...maybe not _ever _ever. Maybe when we were real little we had a few laughs...I guess. I mean, some of those times weren't so bad. Like when..."

Snaptrap quickly shook the thought out of his head. "Whatever. I just wanna get this over with-Hey watch it! Stupid pedestrians, always hoggin' the sidewalks!"

After much more reckless driving and near misses Snaptrap finally arrived at his destination. "Finally! Oh fiddle faddle! The parking's all used up. No wait, there's a spot. Right between those two very expensive looking cars."

He drove over to where the two cars were."Huh, looks a little small, but I can probably carefully squeeze in," he said.

Stomping on the accelerator, Snaptrap rocketed into the small space, flattening the expensive cars in the process. The grey rat leaped out of the car barely glancing at the two cars which were now nothing more than piles of scrap crushed beneath the giant tires of the DOOM Mobile. He nodded in satisfaction.

"Knew I could fit."

Pushing a button on his keys, Snaptrap set the alarm on his car then headed of to find his brother's house.

The Pet-Cific Shores estates where Matt lived was considered to be one of the ritziest areas in Petropolis. Rows of elegant homes rested along a wide canal of water which led out to the ocean. Anyone who wanted to reside here had to make a serious amount of money in order to afford it. Of course, Matt was so successful as a villain he could easily afford one with the money he made(and stole). Docked along the edges of the canal, were boats of various types and sizes which no doubt belonged to the owners of the homes.

Looking out of the window of the first story of one of these homes was a tall, slender, grey, male rat dressed in a white turtleneck, a blue captain's suit and hat and dark grey pants. On his right eye rested a blue monocle which was attached to his suit pocket with a string. Smiling, he walked towards his kitchen where a rather stout but classily dressed grey female rat in a white dress with a pearl necklace and orange hair sat.

"Well, Pat," the male rat spoke in an upperclass sounding voice, "It looks like we're in for some pleasant weather. Not a cloud in the sky. A perfect day for a birthday celebration. Wouldn't you agree?"

"Right, Matt," the female rat responded in a slight nasally voice. "I gotta admit, I'm looking forward to going on that new yacht of yours."

Matt took a sip from the glass he was holding. "Ah yes, the _Phantom_. The top of the line. Just wait until my guests see it. Especially Dr. Rabies and Madame Catastrophe. Ha! Those two roughnecks, always thinking they're above me. This is just the thing to knock them off their high horses."

Pat scoffed. "Don't tell me you bought that big thing just to show those two up."

"Certainly not," Matt replied, "That's merely an added bonus to my purchase. This boat was simply too good a craft to pass up. It's like a floating mansion. And it cuts through the water so smoothly, you'll forget you're on water. Truly a masterpiece of aquatic vessel craftsmanship."

Pat shook her head in amusement. "I should've known. You and boats. I swear you were born with saltwater in your veins."

Matt smiled, swirling his drink with his finger. "Boats are my passion, dear sister you know that. Ever since I was a rat pup. There's just something about being out on the open sea and the salt air that I find invigorating."

"Eh, dry land's good enough for me, but whatever floats your boat, Brother," Pat replied. "Ha! Floats your boat! That's a good one."

Matt just rolled his eyes in response.

"Speaking of dry," Pat continued, "I take it you invited the usual guests besides Dr. R and Madame C.?"

"Hmph, very witty, but to answer your question, yes," Matt replied, "The members from the Villain Villa Country Club have been invited as well as a few fresh new faces."

Pat grinned mischievously, "Fresh new faces huh? You mean like that French female skunk? What's her name, Colette Parfume? The one who beat you in that boat race last month? The one who you couldn't seem take your eyes off of? Oh, don't look so surprised, dear brother. I saw the way you looked at her. We women notice stuff like that."

Matt's face colored slightly. "I-I was merely impressed by her superb boating skills," he said, sounding a bit flustered.

"Riiiight," said Pat unconvinced, "And Verminious is a high rate crime boss. Speaking of our little brother, I'm guessing you didn't invite him?"

Matt snorted, "Of course not. Can you imagine what idiocy he'd pull at my party? It's bad enough most of the other guests know he's my brother. It's difficult to look good in front of the other high ranked villains when your brother is the worst villain in all of Petropolis."

Pat nodded, "Yeah, some of the lady villains give me a hard time cause of him too. Remember how he was at the family reunion? Oh boy." She drummed her claws on the table thoughtfully. "Though ya gotta admit, the reunion would be pretty boring without Verm and his loser ways."

Matt paused with his glass raised halfway. "I'll admit, he can be...amusing at times, heh. But that's with family. These are villains of high social status. Any ways, he won't be ruining my party because he knows absolutely nothing about it."

At that moment the doorbell rang, startling Matt and causing the drink in his hand to splash onto his coat. "Oh drat!" he exclaimed, "and I just had this dry cleaned. Pat, would you mind answering the door while I put on a new coat?"

Pat nodded and walked out of the kitchen while Matt went upstairs to change. Meanwhile, just outside, Snaptrap was checking out the fancy homes. He whistled softly. "Man, I bet these people are loaded. I wish I had time to rob some of 'em. Or maybe I'll just steal some stuff from Matt. It's not like he can't afford it."

The door opened and out popped the face of of Pat. "Speak of the devil," she muttered.

"The feeling's mutual. Where's Matt? I gotta give 'im this," Snaptrap replied, holding up the package.

Pat eyed it suspiciously. "What'd you put in it?"

"I didn't put in nothin', it's from Mom."

"That suppose to make it any better?"

"Will you just let me in?!" Snaptrap snapped.

Pat sighed, "Come on, just don't touch anything."

"Don't touch anything," Snaptrap repeated in a mocking voice, while walking inside.

It didn't take long for Matt to change. He was soon in a new suit and checking himself in the mirror. As he did he glanced at a picture on his dresser and paused.

The picture.

Matt walked over to it and gently picked it up. It was a rather old picture as evident by the scratches and slightly faded colors, but the image was still clear. Matt stared at it, a distant memory slowly coming to his mind. A sunny beach... the faint sound of laughter...

"Hey Matt! It's the criminal mastermind!"

"Shut it, Pat!"

The familiar cracking voice snapped Matt back to reality. Blinking, he placed the picture carefully back on the dresser and walked out of his room.

_ Wonderful_, he thought grumpily.

* * *

**Matt and Pat are real pieces of work aren't they? Talk about snobs, no wonder we've never heard Snaptrap mention them before in the show. **

**This is just the beginning of a long but exciting story. More to come soon!**


	2. Chapter 2- Family Visit

**Matt, Pat, and Verminous Snaptrap belong to Butch Hartman.**

* * *

Matt walked down the stairs and into the front room where his brother and sister were waiting. He smiled and greeted Snaptrap, a hint of smugness in his voice.

"Well, well, if it isn't my younger brother, Verminious. Taking a day off from your nefarious "criminal" activities I see. What brings you all the way to my humble abode?"

"Cut the wisecracks, Matt," Snaptrap replied, "I'm only here to give you this package from, Mom." He read the card that was attached to it in a mocking tone:

"'To my dear little 'Matti.' *snicker* I baked you a dozen of your favorite cookies. Happy Birthday, Sweetie. Love, Mom.' Ha! 'Matti.'"

Frowning in annoyance, Matt accepted the gift. He hated being called "Matti." He opened the box and gave it an appreciative sniff.

"Oh, these smell delightful, they...wait...what the...," Matt peered closer into the box, "Some of these have bite marks on them!

"You don't say," Snaptrap replied dully.

"And it looks like some are missing!"

"How 'bout that?"

Matt glared at Snaptrap."You little snip! You ate some of my cookies!"

"Okay, so I ate one or four," Snaptrap said with a shrug, "Sheesh, I didn't think you'd mind sharing with your brother, Mr. Greedy!"

"First of all, you never asked for permission," Matt said irritably, "And second, I do mind! And I'm not going to eat these after your disgusting mouth has touched them!"

Snaptrap folded his arms indignantly. "Fine! If that's gonna be your 'tude then you can just forget about getting my gift!"

"Your gift! Matt exclaimed with a laugh, then he paused. "Wait...You bought me a present?"

Snaptrap reached into his lab coat and pulled out a small, messily wrapped box. "Mom said I should get you something too. Here, you might as well have it."

Matt just stared at the gift suspiciously. Snaptrap sighed in exasperation. "It's not a trick! Yeesh! Why is it when I give you or Pat something you act like I'm gonna give you something weird?"

"Because you're all about weird," Pat muttered.

Matt curiously accepted the gift and read the card: "To my snobby brother. Happy Birthday, Stinkbrain." Matt looked at his little brother, totally unamused. "You shouldn't have," he said in a deadpan voice.

"Well...it is your birthday," Snaptrap replied, oblivious to the sarcasm.

Matt rolled his eyes and carefully opened the box. Then dropped it with a shout. "Gaaaaah! You said it wasn't a trick!"

"It's not!" Snaptrap argued.

"There's a skull in that box!" Matt cried, pointing at the gift.

"A what?!" Pat exclaimed. She picked up the box and peeked in. Then it was her turn to freak as she dropped it. "Verm, what the heck?!"

Snaptrap smiled, looking pleased, "Wow, I didn't think you'd be _this_ surprised." He bent down and picked up the box taking the skull out for them to see. "Pretty awesome, huh?"

Matt and Pat just backed away silently, looking greatly disturbed. "W-Where on earth did you get a skull?" Matt stuttered.

Snaptrap patted the skull lovingly. "This isn't just any skull, Bro. I picked this little guy out from my personal collection."

"Collection?" Matt asked.

"Yeah, my skull collection."

"Skull...co..." 

Matt and Pat exchanged shocked glances. "You mean you really do have a skull collection?" Pat asked in disbelief.

"Yeah, I've told you guys hundreds of times," Snaptrap replied.

"We thought you were makin' it up!" Pat squeaked.

Snaptrap stared at his siblings like they had gone crazy. "Why would I make it up? And look, this one even has a snobby smile like the one you always have, Matt. That's why I picked this one. Now you can both smile at the misfortune of others together."

He pushed the skull into his brother's hands with a smile. "You're welcome."

Matt and Pat stared at the skull then back at Snaptrap who was grinning proudly. It then dawned on them that he wasn't playing a twisted prank...Snaptrap _actually_ thought he had picked out a great gift for Matt. Which disturbed them even more.

"Um, Verminious, just how exactly did you obtain this skull?" Matt asked suspiciously.

Snaptrap shrugged still grinning. "I dunno."

Matt and Pat just stared at him. This was one of those rare moments where they found their little brother...somewhat frightening. Matt placed the skull in the box with a weary sigh. "Verminious, why on earth would you give me a skull for my birthday?"

Snaptrap bit his lip, as if hesitant to make a reply. Then he stared at the ground, looking a bit embarrassed.

Matt asked again. "Well?"

Snaptrap sighed. "Okay, okay. I admit it. Even though I wasn't looking forward to coming here, I thought I'd try to get on your good side, Matt."

The slender rat raised an eyebrow. "Get on my good side?"

"Yeah," said Snaptrap, "I thought if I got ya a great gift, you'd let me go."

"Go where?"

"To your birthday party on your new yacht, duh."

Matt and Pat's eyes nearly popped out of their heads as they spoke in unison. "YOU KNOW ABOUT THAT?!"

Snaptrap jumped at their vocal response. "Yeah, I heard it from Mom when she was gossiping with her friends. Guess that's one upside to taking her to those foot bunion scrapings." He looked somewhat hopefully at his brother and sister. "So can I go? I promise I won't poison the food."

Matt and Pat exchanged panic glances. They had to do something or else the party would be a complete disaster. "Er, yes, about that," Matt stuttered, trying to come up with a good lie, "I was going to have a party but...er...I'm afraid I had to cancel it. You see, the yacht...is being fixed right now. Yes, um, there were some problems with the engine and it has to be repaired. In fact, Pat was just going to call the guests and tell them the disappointing news. Weren't you Pat?"

"Wha? Oh right! Yeah, that's exactly what I was going to do," Pat said, trying to put on a convincing act, "I'll just go into the next room and call each of the guests on my cell phone and tell them that there is no party. Cause it's been cancelled. Seriously." With a nervous grin, Pat ran into the next room.

Snaptrap raised one eyebrow skeptically. "Didn't you just buy that boat?"

"Er, yes, I did," Matt replied, trying to look casual, "But I'm afraid the salesman sold me a faulty yacht. I may have to have them take it back. Oh, I'll get back every cent I paid, but still, I'm greatly upset about this. I was so looking forward to my party."

Snaptrap just stared at his brother, a bit unsure. Then he folded his arms and shook his head. "Boy did you get suckered, Matt. You really need to have an eye for this sort of stuff, like me. That's why no one pulls the rug out from under my eye."

"Yyyyes," Matt replied, not bothering to correct him, "I'll be much more careful next time. I suppose I can at least have a belated birthday party at the Country Club."

"Bummer, I was looking forward to getting on that fancy boat," Snaptrap said, sounding a bit disappointed. He looked at the skull in his brother's hands. "Well, I guess, you can still keep the skull. Besides, they make great comfort objects." He gave the skull a loving pat before finishing. "That's cause they're always smiling."

Matt shuddered as he remembered he was still holding the macabre object. "T-Thank you," he said.

Snaptrap then started to smile as an idea formed in his head, "Okay, look, I know we're not always on the best terms but uh, as long I'm here, maybe we can do something together for your b-day. Me you and Pat. We could do something fun like plan a diabolical crime together."

Matt closed his eyes and sighed, "Verminious..."

"Or we could get back at those yahoos who sold you that cheap yacht..." Snaptrap continued.

"Verminious..."

"Or we could just hang out at the boardwalk and go on some rides, look in the shops, steal an ice cream cone from a little kid...then at the end we can go to the edge of the pier and spit in the water! Oh yeah! I am a baaad boy..."

"Verminious!" Matt shouted.

Snaptrap snapped out of his thoughts and looked at his brother casually."Yes?"

Matt sighed. "As fun as all that sounds, I'm really not in the mood to do anything today. "

"Oh, that's cool." Snaptrap replied. "We can just hang out here instead. Watch a movie, make some prank calls, TP the neighbor's house..."

Matt stared upward, seeking patience. "No, you misunderstood. I don't want to do anything with you today. I just want to spend a quiet evening at home...by myself."

Snaptrap stared at Matt, as what he just said sank in. "So...you don't wanna hang out?" He asked.

"No." Matt answered.

"Not even a little?"

"No. I must look over the papers for my yacht. Besides I'm sure you have better things to do than hang out with me and Pat."

Snaptrap was strangely quiet for a second. Matt was a bit taken aback by his brother's expression. For a brief second, he almost looked...disappointed. Then Snaptrap rolled his eyes and replied: "Okay, Mr. No-Fun. Whatever sinks your ship."

"You mean 'floats your boat," Matt corrected.

"Yeah, that too."

Matt smiled, relieved that his brother had fallen for the lie. He put an arm around Snaptrap and began to lead him towards the door. "I'm glad you understand. Well, I don't want to keep you from...whatever it is you do. I'll just see you out."

"Uh okay," Snaptrap said, "Oh, and be sure you take good care of that skull, Matt. Ya gotta keep 'em clean or they won't look as menacing. Maybe I should explain proper skull care..."

"No! No...that's fine," Matt replied, eager to get his brother out, "I'll just look it up online. Good bye, for now, Verminious."

"Bye, Ma-"

Matt shut the door before Snaptrap could finish. He leaned against the door as relief swept over him. "Well, that went rather well," he said with a smile, "Now to..." He was silenced as a knock sounded. He opened the door to find Snaptrap still standing there.

"What...is it?!" Matt asked in frustration.

Snaptrap blinked. "I have to go to the bathroom."

Matt rubbed his forehead wearily. "Fine, come on back in and attend to your business."

"I don't own a business," Snaptrap said, puzzled.

"The bathroom, you simpleton!" Matt snapped.

"Can't you talk normal like other people?!" Snaptrap exclaimed. He rushed past his brother and down the hall. "Thanks, Matt!"

"It's on the left!" Matt called back, "And don't break anything!"

CRASH!

"I didn't do it!" Snaptrap shouted from down the hall.

Matt gave a growling sigh and started to walk down the hall when he ran into Pat.

"Is he gone?" She asked, "Did it wor-mmmph!"

Matt covered Pat's mouth and quickly pulled her into the closest room. Pat pulled his hand off her mouth. "What the heck's wrong with you?" She asked.

"Shhh!" Matt hissed, "Verminious is using the bathroom. He'll be gone soon. But to answer your question, yes. He fell for our ruse completely."

Pat laughed. "Figures, Verm would fall for a dumb lie like that."

Matt chuckled. "I must admit, it is rather pathetic how easily he fell for it. And hear this, when I told him my party was cancelled, he actually suggested that the three of us "hang out" together instead."

Pat covered her mouth as she snickered. "Pfffft! Yeah right! Hang out and do what? Stick gum in someone's hair?"

Matt grinned in amusement. "Actually, he suggested something more tasteful like spitting in the water."

"Ha! He would wanna do that!" Pat laughed.

"And a skull of all things!" Matt exclaimed with amused disbelief, "Who on earth gives someone a skull for their birthday?"

"A total freak?" Pat replied.

"Well," Matt said happily, "At least now we can look forward to spending a pleasant time on my new yacht."

"Yeah," Pat agreed, "Especially without Captain Zero to mess things up."

"Ha! "Captain Zero!" Matt laughed. "Good one, Sister!"

As Matt and Pat continued to laugh, they overlooked one thing. The air vent on the wall above their heads. The vent that easily carried their voices over into the nearby rooms...including the bathroom. The vent that enabled their little brother to hear every word of their conversation. Snaptrap heard it all. He was hurt.

And angry.

* * *

**Yeeeah, Snappy doesn't get along too well with his siblings. Who would with how highbrow they act?**

**Heh, yeah, Snaptrap gave Matt a skull, and from his own collection. Considering how Snaptrap feels about his skulls, that's actually quite an honor. It's the thought that counts, Matt.**

**Now how's Snaptrap gonna react to all this? We shall see...**


	3. Chapter 3 - Bad Voyage!

**Part 3 is here! Sweet!**

**Matt, Pat, Verminious Snaptrap, and Tuff Puppy (c) Butch Hartman**

**Colette Parfume (c) Me**

* * *

Snaptrap leaned dejectedly against the bathroom door. How could he have been so stupid? He should've known Matt and Pat would do anything to keep him from their plans. They always excluded him from the stuff they did, whether it was fun stuff or committing a crime. Him? He was nothing more than a third wheel to them. The annoying tag along little brother. The black sheep of the family. The nobody. Snaptrap folded his arms in frustration.

_I get left out of everything._

He slowly opened the bathroom door and peeked out. He could hear his siblings in the front room, still laughing. He grumbled to himself then noticed the stairs that led up to Matt's room. A sudden impulse came into Snaptrap and he ran to the first steps. Then he hesitated. Matt had made it clear that he was never allowed in his room. He would be furious if he found Snaptrap in there. The grey rat thought it over a few seconds while as he listened to his siblings still mocking him. He frowned then scurried silently up the steps.

_Whatever, he thought_, _I'll just slip in and slip out._

The door to Matt's room gently creaked as Snaptrap opened it and turned on the light. He whistled softly in amazement. Now he knew why his brother never let him up here. The elegant room was full of all sorts of valuable looking objects and knick knacks, no doubt some of them stolen from past crimes. Everything looked so neat and polished from the decorative objects to the lovely brown furniture. A full length mirror hung on one wall next to a white polished door. There was even a balcony outside with patio chairs and a table. Mostt of the room decor had to do with boats or the sea. Quietly closing the bedroom door behind him, Snaptrap strolled slowly throughout his brother's room taking it all in.

_What is it with Matt and boats?_

He walked over to the polished wood door and switched on the light inside, revealing a row of captain coats with matching hats. On the other side was a row of polished shoes. The closet no doubt. Snaptrap stared at all the fancy coats for a moment, pondering an idea. It eventually proved too tempting to resist. He gently removed a royal blue coat from its hanger and, standing in front of the full length mirror, carefully put it on. The coat was a bit tight and wouldn't button as Matt was much thinner than Snaptrap but it still looked pretty good on him. He then placed a captain's hat of the same color on his head. Luckily, he and Matt had the same pointy head shape so it fit perfectly. As he adjusted the hat, Snaptrap saw a glass paneled wooden box on the dresser. Walking over to it he looked in and saw three rows of different colored monocles.

_Wow. Matt really needs help._

Opening the glass panel, Snaptrap delicately picked up a blue monocle and fit it over his right eye. He went back to the mirror and looked himself over.

_Hey, I don't look half bad. No wonder Matt likes dressin' like this._

He began to strike a few noble poses in front of the mirror when he caught sight of the shoes on the closet floor.

_What the heck._

Pretty soon Snaptrap was sitting on Matt's bed tying the shoes he had put on. While admiring his new footware, he pushed down a few times on the bed, noticing how soft it felt. He fell back onto it, feeling how comfortable the the blankets and air like mattress felt on his back.

_Man, this is the life. I'd be snobby too if I had it good like this._

Snaptrap lifted his head up and stared across at the dresser. And that's when he saw it.

The picture.

_Is that...?_

Snaptrap got up and walked over to the photograph. Squinting his eyes, he took a good hard look.

_No way._

He picked up the picture and took it over to the bed where he plopped down. Resting his head on the pillow, Snaptrap stared dumbly at the figures on the photo. It all came flooding back to him. That day...

_Why would Matt..._

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING UP HERE?!"

Snaptrap let out a squeak of fright and toppled of the bed, landing flat on his back. It took him a few seconds to realize that the angry voice was Matt's and that he had been discovered. He absentmindedly stuffed the picture in his lab coat as he slowly peeked over the bed. Matt was standing at the bedroom door with Pat right behind him. Both did not look happy.

"You little sneak..." Matt growled through gritted teeth.

Snaptrap stood up slowly while grinning nervously. "Matt! Hey! What brings you up here?"

Matt stomped towards him. "I've told you a hundred times you're not allowed-" He paused in mid sentence. Adjusting his monocle Matt squinted at Snaptrap.

"That's my coat..." He observed.

Snaptrap started to back away towards the glass sliding doors that led out to the balcony.

"That's my hat..."

He put one hand behind him and felt for the handle.

"That's my monocle...and my shoes..."

Snaptrap then began to feel behind with both hands.

Matt was furious. "YOU NO ACCOUNT WRETCH! THOSE ARE MY GOOD CLOTHES!"

Snaptrap turned around and struggled to unlock the glass doors, planning to jump down from the balcony. It didn't matter to him that he was on the second floor. If the fall didn't kill him, his brother sure would. He squeaked again as he felt Matt grab the coat from behind and tug at it sharply.

"Matt! Don't kill me!" Snaptrap cried. "Help! Sibling murder! Sibling murder!

"Take them off!" Matt shouted, pulling with all his might. "Take them off right now or I'll-Daaahhhh!"

Quickly obeying his brother's wishes, Snaptrap had slipped right out of the coat, causing Matt to fall back on the floor. The DOOM leader was about to make a run for it when Pat suddenly blocked his way.

"Don't...even...try...it," she said while cracking her knuckles threateningly.

Snaptrap stood stone still. Pat was shorter than him but he knew full well what she was capable of. Matt got up from the floor, his monocle dangling from his coat. He glared and pointed to the rest of his clothing that Snaptrap was wearing.

"Take...those...off," he hissed.

Snaptrap immediately complied, removing the hat and shoes and tossing them onto the bed. He handed the monocle to Matt who snatched it from his hand. The angry rat pointed to the bedroom door.

"Out," he ordered, "Out of my room, and my house."

Snaptrap quickly and quietly walked out of the room, down the stairs, and all the way to the front door with his brother and sister following him closely. As he was about to step out, he turned to Matt and pointed at the monocle he was still holding.

"You might wanna clean that with hot water," he warned, "I just recovered from pink eye."

Matt stared at the monocle in his hand as a look of disgust formed on his face.

"Gaaahhhh!" He exclaimed as shoved the monocle into Snaptrap's hands. "Oh take the stupid thing! I don't want your disgusting germs!"

"But-" Snaptrap began.

"Verm, just go home okay?!" Pat snapped at him. "You delivered the package. Just...go back home to your little lair or whatever." As she pushed him out the door, Matt went up to him and shoved something into his little brother's hands. It was the skull Snaptrap had given him. Snaptrap looked from the skull to his brother. Matt stared back at him in a no nonsense manner.

"You can have your skull back," he said coldly, "Good bye, Verminious."

With those parting words, Matt slammed the door in his brother's face. Snaptrap just stood there for a moment, staring at the door. Then narrowing his eyes, he whispered threateningly:

"I will now, plot my revenge."

He took off as fast as he could back to the DOOM Mobile, trying to ignore the hurt that mixed with his anger. This was far from over.

The Boardwalk, which rested next to the Pet-cific Shores estates, was a bustling place of fun and recreation. There were stores, gift shops, all kinds of sweets and treats, and even a small arcade. Beach goers could roller bade or skateboard or even rent special cart bikes that four people could ride at once. In the middle of it all were two main ride attractions: a giant ferris wheel and a double decker merry go round. Citizens from all over Petropolis loved to come here.

Next to the boardwalk were the docks for various boats and cruise lines. Ships, boats, and yachts of different sizes were parked along the numerous docks. Amongst the vessels was none other than Matt's newest yacht, the _Phantom_. The elegant vessel stood proudly as crew members and dock hands readied her for sail. Matt wasn't lying when he said it was the top of the line. Tourists on the pier stared in amazement at it. It was one of the grandest boats there. Standing on the _Phantom's_ main deck, were Matt and Pat, who were watching the guests arrive.

"Looks like it's gonna be a big turn out, Matt," Pat said happily.

Matt polished his monocle on his coat proudly. "Far better than I expected, Pat," he stated, "I'll be the talk of the criminal world when this over, you mark my words. Villains all over Petropolis will see that the Snaptraps are more than just sewer rats. We command respect, despite a few...odd ones."

Pat looked at him. "Speaking of which, you think Verm took the hint and went straight home?"

Matt examined his monocle then placed it back on his eye, a look of annoyance on his face. He was still a bit ticked from the incident earlier. "Oh, I don't doubt that he did. Believe me, it'll be a while before he comes back here again."

Pat shook her head. "Figures he'd go into your room like that. It was just like when we were kids. He was always getting into our stuff."

Matt nodded. "Ah yes, I remember. It didn't help that the three of us had to share a room. I remember him always trying to read my comic books, play with my stuff, and other such nonsense. I'd chase him all around the house for getting into my things and soon we'd end up wrestling around until...until..." He paused and rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly. "Huh, actually we...we'd have so much fun trying to pin each other down it...really didn't seem to matter why we started fighting in the first place."

Pat gave an amused smile. "Yeah, I remember you two running around like maniacs...and nearly running over me. Nerds."

"You sometimes joined in too, you know," Matt pointed out.

"Yeah," Pat laughed, "And I'd kick both your butts!"

Matt and Pat were both silent for a moment. Then Pat spoke. "Those were actually some pretty fun times the three of us had, huh Matt?"

Matt stared ahead. "Yes..." he murmured half to himself, "The three of us..."

Their conversation was then interrupted by a sweet voice: "Bonjour, Matthew, Patricia."

Walking up to them was a pretty female skunk with golden hair. It was Collette Parfume, Matt's crush. She smiled sweetly at Matt and spoke with a quaint French accent. "I would like to wish you, a Happy Birthday, Matthew."

Matt's face colored ever so slightly as he cleared his throat nervously. "Ahem! Um, thank you Colette. I'm so glad you were able to make it."

"Oh, I wouldn't miss _your_ birthday party, Matthew," Colette replied with a soft laugh, "I must say, your yacht is very impressive. Maybe later you would like to show me around, yes?"

Matt grinned, "I'd-I'd be delighted to," he stammered.

Colette winked at him. "Wonderful. I look forward to it."

Matt watched her dreamily as she walked daintily off. He turned and noticed Pat staring at him smugly.

"Man, have you got it bad," she snickered.

Matt looked away from her, his face an obvious shade of red.

"Oh shut up," he muttered.

************************************************** ******************************************

In the _Phantom's_ kitchen, crew members and dockhands were loading the last crate of food supplies. They set it gently down in the storage area, then left, leaving the kitchen completely empty. After a few minutes, the lid to the crate opened slightly as a pair of yellow eyes peeked out. The lid flipped open and out popped the head of Verminious Snaptrap. He climbed out of the crate carrying a suitcase with him. Checking his surroundings, the crafty rat grinned smugly to himself.

He had made it aboard.

* * *

**Ooooh, Snappy's up to something.;)**

**Just like a little brother to get into his siblings stuff, isn't it? But ouch, it hurts when someone gives you back a gift claiming they don't want it. Sure, it was a skull, but Snaptrap meant well. BTW - I forgot to mention, Matt's yacht, The Phantom, is a small reference to Butch Hartman's other cartoon, Danny Phantom. Hurr, I'm so clevah. XD**

**So it looks like Snaptrap is gonna get into Matt's party after all...but he'll soon wish he didn't. Cause this is gonna be one bash he and his sibs will never forget. Stay tuned!**


	4. Chapter 4 - Payback

**Matt, Pat, Verminious Snaptrap and Tuff Puppy (c) Butch Hartman**

**Vincent (c) Me.**

* * *

It wasn't long before the _Phantom_ had set sail and was out on the open sea. Matt had been correct in his prediction that it would be a perfect day for his party. There wasn't a cloud in the sky as the large vessel glided smoothly across the calm waters. At that moment, the guests were being shown to their rooms for the day, should any of them want to take a break from the activities or just rest. One such guest was being led to his room by a female server.

"Here is your room, Sir," she spoke cheerfully, "I hope it's to your liking."

The guest, a well dressed german shepherd in a black tux and top hat walked into the room. "Wow, this is my room?" He asked in a deep voice while tossing a suitcase onto the bed.

"Yes," the server replied smiling, "They're especially accommodated for comfortable sea travel. There's a phone on the desk if you need anything. You can even have food delivered if you'd like."

"I get a phone too? Niiiice." The german shepherd said with a grin. "Thanks a bunch!"

"You're welcome, Sir," the server replied, "Have a nice stay."

The "gentleman" dog closed the door after the server left, and locked it. He clapped his hands together resolutely. "Well, time to drop the disguise."

Concentrating, the german shepherd's eyes glowed red and his form morphed into a shapeless black form, which then immediately shape shifted into...Verminious Snaptrap. The crafty rat checked himself in a mirror and laughed triumphantly. "Ha! It worked like a charm!" He opened up his lab coat, revealing a black jumpsuit underneath, covered with computer lines. "Good thing the Chameleon bet his tansmolecular suit at the last card game," Snaptrap said, "And even gooder that I had that extra card hidden to win it."

Snaptrap checked out the room. There was a small yet elegant restroom with a shower, a closet, two small yet comfy beds, and even a television set. He ran and jumped on top of one of the beds letting himself bounce a bit. He flopped back onto the bed and gave a happy sigh. "Aaah! Now this is high class living. Ha! Bet dumb ol' Matt and Pat never thought I'd be resting on one of these beds. In your face, loser siblings!"

Snaptrap lounged on the bed for awhile, enjoying the fact that he was able to fool his brother and sister. Then he sat up and pulled the suitcase towards him. Opening it up, he pulled out a skull, the same one he had tried to give Matt earlier, and conversed with it. "Well, Vincent, we made it aboard. Not bad for a so called loser and a skull, huh?"

"Vincent" just stared back with a vacant grin. Snaptrap smiled and gave it an affectionate pat. "Always smiling," he said fondly.

Snaptrap sprang off the bed, carrying his suitcase and Vincent with him. He placed them both on the desk nearby and began to take the items out of the suitcase and lay them in a row on the desk, all the while ranting to Vincent.

"Just wait, Vincent, just wait. Matt and Pat'll pay for lying to me. They'll learn that no one makes a fool of Verminious Snaptrap." His eyes narrowed in an expression of both anger and hurt. "Not even my own brother and sister," he grumbled. "Stupid Matt and Pat, leaving me out of their fun. Don't want their little brother tagging along do they? Giving me back my gift? I'll show them. Dumb ol' snotty brother and sister. Acting like they're better than me. Just cause mom was always bragging about them. Hey, I always tried my darndest. I can be just as good as them..." Snaptrap gave a small sniff and wiped his nose on his sleeve. "Whatever. I'll be having the last laugh this time."

After making sure he had everything, Snaptrap laughed with glee. "Perfect! Now to get started." Just then his stomach gave a growl. "After I get a bite to eat," he said, giving his stomach a pat. "I think I'll just have it sent here so I can watch some TV."

Snaptrap picked up the phone, but strangely there was no dial tone. He placed it back down then picked it up and listened again. Nothing. He pressed a few buttons. Still nothing. "Huh. Must be broken. High class yacht my foot! Darn phone doesn't even work! Now I gotta go all the way to the kitchen!" Snaptrap paused for a moment, then an evil grin formed on his face. "Which is the perfect place to begin my plan of revenge," he finished with glee.

He went back to the desk and divided the items, putting some in the suitcase and some in his last item to go in the suitcase was Vincent the skull. "Sorry, Vincent," Snaptrap said, "But this is a solo job." He slammed the suitcase shut and tossed it into the closet. Then concentrating hard, he shape shifted back into the german shepherd form. He had barely begun to open the door, when he heard someone coming. He ducked back to see who it was. Turns out it was two people: Dr. Rabies, a dog,and Madame Catastrophe, a cat. Snaptrap held back a bit and listened. He could make out a bit of their conversation.

"This Phantom is quite the vessel is it not, my sweet?" Dr. Rabies asked his feline comapnion.

"Yes, Darling, it is perfect," Madame Catastrophe purred, "I can't wait until later."

Dr. Rabies smiled craftily. "Me neither. I have been looking forward to this for quite some time."

The two chuckled as they went further down the hall. Snaptrap watched them disappear around the corner then he set off for the kitchen.

************************************************** ******************************************

Snaptrap, still in dog form, headed outside to the pool, where lunch was being served. He was in a good mood having completed his first few acts of revenge. Getting into the kitchen was no problem thanks to the transmolecular suit. He simply changed into a chef and walked straight in without a problem. And how fortunate that they had just finished decorating his brother's birthday cake. It didn't take long for Snaptrap to insert an "extra special treat" into the cake. Even better, on his way to the deck, he happened to discover where Pat's room was. He managed to sneak in and fix some surprises for her without anyone seeing. It had been a good day so far, but the best was yet to come...for him anyway.

Snaptrap surveyed the scene before him on deck. Some of the guests were sitting at tables sheltered by umbrellas where they casually chatted while waiting for their lunch. Others were sunning themselves on lounge chairs or taking a dip in the pool and jacuzzi. Some of the guests he could recognize. In fact, some of them had attended his "Doomie" awards a while back. He saw Kung Pow Chicken, Mad Cow, even Bird Brain was there. Snaptrap couldn't help but feel a bit bitter at seeing Birdbrain there.

_Huh, BirdBrain and I have committed a few crimes together. You think he woulda put in a good word for me._

As he strolled through the crowd he happen to walk by the outdoor pool. A crafty plan began to form in his mind. Secretly pulling out a vial he had in his pocket, Snaptrap uncorked it, and quickly poured it into the pool, unnoticed by the guests. As he stuffed the vial back into his pocket, a delectable aroma filled his nose. He followed the scent and saw a buffet table upon which servers were setting out dishes. Snaptrap licked his lips. He almost forgot how hungry he was. He rushed ahead to the buffet, shoving some of the guests aside, while also getting another vial ready. This would be one buffet these yahoos would never forget.

************************************************** ******************************************

After loading his plate, Snaptrap found a spot to eat at a table underneath the shade of an umbrella. He wanted a good seat for when the fun would start. As he started to dig in, someone came up to his table. Looking up, Snaptrap nearly choked...it was Matt, who was also carrying a plate of food.

"Excuse me, but is anyone else sitting here?" Matt asked politely, "All the other tables seem to be taken."

Snaptrap managed to swallow his food before he spoke. "Guh! Uh, no. No one's sitting here. You can have a seat." As soon as the words left his mouth he mentally chided himself.

_Idiot! Why did you say that? Okay, no big deal. I'm in disguise and the suit can change my voice. I'm sure Matt'll never know it's really me._

"Ah, thank you," Matt replied taking a seat. As he stirred a salad on his plate, he looked quizzically at the well dressed dog(Not knowing it was Snaptrap in disguise). "Excuse me, but have we met? I don't recall ever seeing you around."

Snaptrap smiled nervously, feeling small sweat drops forming on his neck. "Oh, uh, I'm a...a friend of your sister, Pat," He lied trying to sound casual."I'm Ver...uh Victor...Thaddeus...Richard...von Marzipan. Which is definitely my real name."

Matt had told Pat that she could invite some of her friends, so he wasn't the least bit suspicious. He smiled and shook "Victor's" hand. "Well, it's a pleasure to meet you Mr. er, Marzipan. I'm Matthew Snaptrap. Funny, Pat has never mentioned you, but I suppose her friends are her business. Anyways, I'm glad you were able to attend my little birthday soiree."

Snaptrap(Victor) took a gulp of fruit punch and coughed before replying. "Glug! Oh yeah! Yeah! I wouldn't miss this for the world. I've never been on a yacht before."

Matt looked surprised. "Never been on a yacht? I assume someone like you would've been on one or two."

Snaptrap(Victor) gulped sheepishly. "Heh, of course I've been on a yacht! I have a ton of yachts! I mean I've never been on a yacht...like this! It's a real beauty."

"Why thank you," Matt replied, "I must admit it was worth every penny. I'm so glad I was able to afford it." He took a sip from his drink before he continued. "So tell me about yourself, Mr. Marzipan."

Snaptrap(Victor) paused with his food halfway to his mouth, surprised. In disguise or not, he wasn't use to Matt wanting to know more about him or how he was doing. In fact, Matt _never_ asked him that. "Me? Really?" He asked. "Uh, okay. Let's see, I'm uh, a villain like you and um, I'm really successful at it. Yeah, I steal tons of stuff...money, jewels, cars, space ships, those little soap bars from hotel rooms...I'm a master thief."

"Huh," Matt replied, "Funny, I've never heard mention of you before."

"Oh, er, that's cause I like to keep a low profile," Snaptrap(Victor) lied.

"I see," Matt said, "Well, that's understandable. What other sort of crimes have you committed?"

"Other?" Snaptrap(Victor) repeated. He stayed quiet for a moment, trying to make up past crimes in his head. Then one popped into his head. "Oh yeah! One time I stole a super space laser from TUFF."

"Really!" Matt exclaimed, sounding a bit impressed, "How did you ever manage that?"

"Oh, that dumb Agent Puppy broke the laser and the pieces fell to earth," Snaptrap(Victor) explained feeling more confident, "So I drove my RV around and got all the pieces before TUFF did."

Matt blinked. "You...drove your RV?"

"Oh yeah," Snaptrap(Victor) replied, taking a sip of punch, "See, I was able to convert an RV into a spaceship and a submarine. Worked like a charm...until those stupid TUFF Agents Puppy and Katswell stole the laser back from me and broke it. Boy,was the RV rental agent ticked."

Matt just stared at "Victor." Looking somewhat puzzled. A realization then hit Snaptrap(Victor).

_You big stupid head! _He thought angrily._ That was a real crime you committed. Me and my fat mouth! Matt is sure to have heard of it and make the connection!_

But to his complete surprise, Matt didn't make an accusation against him. Instead, he laughed. Not a mocking laugh, but a laugh of amusement. "My word, Mr. Marzipan, you are quite the comedian!" He exclaimed.

Snaptrap(Victor) blinked. "I am?"

Matt waved his hand in an amused manner. "Yes, flying an RV in space and underwater. Oh I must say, that is hilarious!"

Snaptrap(Victor) decided it was best to just go along with it. "Uh, yeah! Ha! Got ya! An RV in space! Like that's even possible! Naw, I just stole a spaceship like any great villain would. Too bad dumb ol' TUFF messed up my plans as usual."

Snaptrap was glad that he wasn't discovered, but he was still confused. _I wonder why Matt didn't make the connection?_ He thought as Matt spoke.

"Oh yes, TUFF is quite the nusiance isn't it?" the slender rat said, "I've run into problems with them myself at times. Still to have been able to steal their giant laser, even for a short time, is quite an amazing accomplishment."

Snaptrap beamed. Amazing. Matt actually called something his little brother did amazing. True, Matt thought it was "Victor" who had done the deed, but it was Snaptrap who really pulled off the theft so it still counted, in a way. "Gee, thanks, Bro- I mean, Mr. Snaptrap," he replied gratefully.

"Please, call me Matt," the classy rat insisted, "I don't suppose you have another interesting story to tell, Mr. Marzipan?"

"Uh, as a matter of fact I do," Mr. 'von Marzipan,' said with a big smile, "And call me Victor."

************************************************** ******************************************

Snaptrap, AKA Victor, and Matt ended up having a great conversation as they ate lunch. Snaptrap told about the time he had tried to sabotage TUFF's annual cruise with a giant iceberg and the time he had trapped the citizens of Petropolis in a mall he created, so he could fly them straight into the sun. Once again, Matt was impressed and greatly amused, thinking that some parts were just a joke that "Victor" had snuck in his story, never once suspecting that it was Snaptrap who had actually done the deeds. The conversation soon turned to other subjects...interests, hobbies, and other things. Snaptrap was amazed, not just because his brother was actually impressed by some of his crimes and deeds...but also because he was actually enjoying just talking to his brother. And for once, Matt was not putting him down or insulting him. The two were just having a fun, normal conversation. It was something Snaptrap and his brother had not done in a long, long, time.

After they finished eating, Matt stood up offering his hand to "Victor." "Well, Victor, I must say, I greatly enjoyed our conversation," he said, "We really must get together again sometime, or as the more common folk say, "Hang out."

"Yeah. Yeah we should," Snaptrap(Victor) replied with a smile while shaking Matt's hand.

At that moment, they were both greeted by another guest: Dr. Rabies, the dog that had passed by Snaptrap's room earlier. He was a white dog with black ears whom greatly resembled TUFF Agent, Dudley Puppy. The only difference being that Dr. Rabies except wore a black eyepatch, tuxedo, and had a black goatee. Snaptrap noticed the change in his brother's expression. It was clear that Matt was not happy to see Dr. Rabies. The well dressed dog put on a smug smile as he addressed Matt.

"Ah, Matthew Snaptrap, my...dear villanous comrade. Your party has been quite...charming. Not bad...for a sewer rat."

Snaptrap didn't know why, but he didn't like the way Dr. Rabies referred to Matt as a sewer rat. True the Snaptraps _were_ Burmese sewer rats, but Dr. Rabies didn't have to make it sound insulting.

Matt narrowed his eyes slightly. "Thank you, Doctor," he replied, his voice betraying nothing, "You're...too kind. Where is your associate, Madame Catastrophe?"

"Oh her?" Dr. Rabies answered with a smile, "She is...just seeing all that your yacht has to offer. It's such a big, grand vessel. Perfect. Absolutely perfect."

Matt was surprised, but also bit pleased by the compliment. "Well, er, thank you. I'm glad you think so. After all, not _every_ one can afford a yacht of this extravagance." He gave a slight smirk as he finished the sentence.

Dr. Rabies snorted in annoyance. "Hmph! As a matter of fact, I'm coming very close to possessing a grand yahct. One that will wipe that smug grin of your face."

Matt smiled. "We'll see, my friend, we'll see."

Dr. Rabies smirked back. "At least I don't have a psychotic imbecile for a brother."

"Hey!" Snaptrap (Or rather Victor) exclaimed, "I'm not-I mean, how do you even know his brother's even like that?"

Dr. Rabies sneered at the dapper dog. "Ha! Everyone knows Matt's younger brother is that idiot Verminious Snaptrap. There's no way you can hide from that ugly truth. But what did you expect from a family of sewer rats?"

Snaptrap(Victor) was getting angry. "Hey! We- I mean, the Snaptraps may be sewer rats. But they're the best darn villanous family Petropolis has ever seen!"

Matt look surprised but grateful that his new friend was defending him. He turned to Dr. Rabies and growled. "Listen to me, Doctor, and listen good. My brother is in no way a reflection of our family! He's just an immature, idiotic clod that lost his sanity years ago!"

Snaptrap felt as if he'd just been stabbed in the back. He bit his lip to keep from blurting out anything that might give him away as Matt continued:

"Just because my brother is stupid, doesn't mean the rest of our family is. I didn't get this far by dumb luck I...I...oh my..."

Matt's face started to become a sickening shade of green. He bent down a bit, holding onto his stomach and started to moan a bit. Snaptrap ears perked up in slight anticipation. He looked at Dr. Rabies, who was also starting to turn an ugly shade of green. It was working. The poison he had put in the food was taking affect. He looked out towards the other guests and noticed the same effect was happening on the ones that had eaten the food. Some of them were holding their stomachs and moaning. Others were at the railing of the yacht, already "disposing" the bad food into the ocean. Matt witnessed all of this, confused as to what was happening.

"What...what on earth..." He started to moan.

Sudden screams from the pool drew his attention. The guests who had been swimming were now climbing out of the pool as fast as they could...each one a cool shade of blue. Some were shouting and cursing, while some of the women were crying. Just then Pat came running up to them, greatly upset and also looking sick.

"Maaaatt! What the heck's going on?!" She cried. "Look what your stupid pool did to me!"

Matt looked down at Pat's legs where she was pointing. Both were the same rich shade of blue as the others who swam in the pool. Snaptrap(Victor) bit his lip to keep from laughing. Pat glared at Matt, tears starting to form in her eyes.

"I just dipped my feet in for a while and they came out like this! I don't have anything with me to cover this up! And what the heck was in that food?! I swear if this is your fault...I'll...I'll...Gulp!"

Pat clapped her hand to her mouth and ran to the railing to join the other sick guests. Matt just stared, completely lost.

"What...How...Blurgh!"

Clapping both his hands to his mouth as well, Matt dashed off after Pat. Dr. Rabies soon followed, looking very nauseous. Snaptrap watched the whole scene of chaos, a satisfied smile on his face. He turned and calmly began to walk back towards his room. As he walked, he thought back to the pleasant conversation he and Matt had during lunch, and how much he enjoyed it. He slowed down his pace a bit. For a moment he started to feel a little guilty for pulling the prank on his brother, especially after how Dr. Rabies had mocked his family. But then he remembered the cruel comment Matt made about him, his younger brother. Straightening up, Snaptrap continued off to his room.

_Matt had it coming._

The first part of his revenge was complete.

* * *

**Phase one of Snaptrap's revenge is complete! And surprisingly, our crazy rat seemed to be having some guilt over it. But, knowing Snappy, it didn't last long. Huh, Snaptrap was surprisingly a bit clever here. Guess that's what happens when he puts his mind to something.**

**Aw, Snaptrap actually had a good time talking to his brother(Even though matt didn't know it was him).**

**Yes! Doctor Rabies and Madame Catastrophe make an appearance in the story! You'll definitely be seeing more of these guys. Boy, Rabies was kind of a jerk here wasn't he? Just wait'll you see Madame C.**

**Yes, Snaptrap named the skull Vincent, and yes, he was talking to him. This won't be the **

**Madame Catastrophe will make a bigger appearance next chapter as will Pat! Let me know what you think so far!**


	5. Chapter 5 - A Friendly Game Of Pool

**I only own Vincent and Colette Parfume.**

**TUFF Puppy and its characters belong to Butch Hartman**

* * *

Back in his room, Snaptrap, now in his normal form, was laughing and bragging to Vincent, the skull, about the trick he had pulled on his brother.

"Man, Vincent, you should've seen it! Those losers were tossing their cookies more than my family did that time they ate Mom's potato salad!"

He fell back on the bed, chuckling with merriment. "And Matt and Pat! Oh boy, did they get it bad! Especially, Matt! He was as green as the Chameleon. I could hear him throwing up all the way from where I was standing! And get this! Pat didn't just get food poisoning, she got her legs turned blue from the pool! She looked like she had Smurf feet! Two birds with one stone! Not so high and mighty now, are you loser siblings?!"

Snaptrap laughed until his sides hurt. Trying to catch his breath, he thought back to how he pulled it all off from the beginning. Suddenly, his face went from smirking, to serious. He got up and sat at the desk where Vincent was.

"You know, Vincent, pulling those pranks was fun and all, but...well, don't tell anyone, but I actually enjoyed talking to Matt at lunch. Yeah, I know, he thought I was Victor von Marzipan, but still, it was pretty cool to be able to talk to him like that without him treating me like I'm stupid or something."

Snaptrap grinned and leaned in closer to Vincent. "And you know what else, Vince? I told him about some of my past crimes like stealing the TUFF laser with an RV and trying to crash that iceberg into a cruise ship, and you know what? He thought it was amazing! Well, actually, he thought some of the stuff in those stories were just jokes I stuck in there, but still, my brother actually thought something _I_ did was amazing! I can't remember the last time he told me that."

Snaptrap scratched his head. "Actually I can't _ever_ remember a time he told me that."

Vincent just stared back with his permanent vacant grin. "What? No!" Snaptrap exclaimed as if Vincent had actually asked him a question. "I'm not sorry I pulled those pranks! Not a bit! You know why? Because Matt had told Dr. Rabies that I was an immature, idiotic, clod! Right in front of me! Okay, he didn't know I was there, but it still hurt! And I bet he tells people that sort of stuff all the time!"

Snaptrap folded his arms. "Nope, I don't feel sorry one bit. And speaking of Dr. Rabies, boy, was that guy a jerk. Callin' our family sewer rats! Yes, Vincent, I know we _are_ sewer rats, but he didn't have to make it sound like he was better than us! I can't believe I actually invited that guy to my Doomie Awards. He's officially off the list!"

Snaptrap lowered his folded arms on the desk and rested his chin on them, smiling craftily at his skull friend. "You know, Vincent, I was able to sneak into Pat's room and sabotage her makeup. Heh, wait'll she puts it on. With that and her blueberry legs she won't look so glamorous then. And I managed to sneak a little surprise into Matt's birthday cake too. Let's just say he'll get a "bang" out of it, hee hee! And then, that's when the real fun will start. I've been saving the best for last."

Snaptrap reached into his open suitcase and pulled out a small square technological device. He held it up triumphantly. "Behold! The Scrambler Device!" Snaptrap presented it to Vincent while explaining. "Awesome, isn't it? I swiped it from Bird Brain, and the instructions for it. I didn't really read them though, just gave it a quick skim. From what I read, this thing can scramble any type of machine or techno device it's attached to. All I gotta do is set the scrambling strength and the timer, then stick this little guy on the yacht engine. Once the timer goes off...bingo! The whole engine will shut down! As long as this device is on it, they'll never get it started! Matt's party will be brought to a halt and my revenge will be complete! His precious _Phantom _will be known as the Phan-Dumb! Ah ha ha ha ha ha!""

Vincent just stared back silently. Snaptrap glared at him.

"Shut up, Vincent! It was too a great joke!"

Matt was in the yacht's small infirmary room, recovering from his food poisoning, along with many of the other guests who had eaten from the buffet. He had taken some medicine and was resting on a small cot-like bed, though his mind was anything but restful. He just couldn't understand what had happened at lunch. He had ordered only the freshest ingredients for his party and hired the best cooks. How could they have gotten food poisoning? And the pool. He had made sure it had been thoroughly cleaned this morning. How in the world could it have turned the swimmers blue? It just didn't make sense. He had been so careful to ensure everything had been taken care of. And how was he going to explain all this to his disgruntled guests? He knew this had cost him valuable status points amongst them. The fact that they were high ranking villains didn't make the situation any better. No doubt Dr. Rabies and Madame Catastrophe were going to rub this in his face once they all recovered. They always did that with any mistake he made. Matt sighed in frustration. Then he sat up slowly as a realization came over him. Victor von Marzipan had eaten the food too, yet he didn't seem to be the least ill from it. That did seem a bit...suspicious. Or was it just a weird coincidence?

Matt thought back to the conversation they had. It was a pleasant one and Victor seemed like a decent if not quirky individual. Yet, there was something strangely familiar about him. His manner of speech, the way he acted. Matt felt a strange sort of deja vu' while talking to him. And his past crimes, they did sort of ring a bell. Matt thought about it, then just shrugged it off. Perhaps he was worrying over nothing. Maybe the whole thing was just a freak accident. Even the best make mistakes sometimes. Feeling better, Matt got off the bed and stretched his limbs. He walked out of the infirmary only to be met by Collette. She smiled sympathetically at him. "Oh Matthew, I heard what had happened. I am so sorry. You are feeling better, yes?"

Matt immediately straightened up and put on a smile. "Collette! Er, yes, I feel completely fine. I was just going to um, tend to my guests about the...er, lunch incident. I hope you weren't affected."

Collette shook her head. "No, not at all. I was... um, getting a facial during lunch. I hope your guests won't be too angry with you."

Matt shrugged nonchalantly, though inside he was nervous. "Oh, I'm sure I'll be able to calm them down...one way or another. All part of being the host, I suppose."

Collette took a step closer to him. "Maybe after you can show me around your yacht, like you promised?" She asked coyly.

Matt gulped. "I...er, yes! Of course! I'd be most honored. I'll do it as soon as I take care of the guests."

Collette took hold of his arm. "Merci. I will accompany you. That is, if you don't mind?"

Matt's face began to color as he grinned. "Not at all..."

************************************************** ******************************************

Guests began to calm down a bit as the day went on. It was hard to stay angry when there were was so much to enjoy on the magnificent yacht. Snaptrap was already having fun...carrying out his final act of revenge. He had made his way down the decks of the yacht, and was finally on the one level that would take him to the engine room. Rounding a corner, he found the door that he was looking for. Making sure the coast was clear, Snaptrap shape shifted from Victor von Marzipan into an engine worker. Feeling the Scrambler device in his pocket, Snaptrap whistled happily as he walked through the door and into the engine room.

With his revenge ensured, Snaptrap decided to take full advantage of what Matt's yacht had to offer. He had hours before the Scrambler Device would go off and who knew when he'd have another chance to take advantage of his brother's riches? Besides, in his Victor von Marzipan disguise, he could go anywhere he pleased without being under any suspicion. Right now, he was giving the pool table a try. He had played pool with his DOOM henchmen many times(Although he often cheated to win). He was showing off (Or at least trying to) to a few of the guests, wanting to impress the high ranking villains. Squinting one eye, he aimed carefully with his cue stick and struck the cue ball...a little too hard. The cue ball went sailing over the heads of the guests towards the back. Snaptrap(Or rather Victor), shrugged sheepishly.

"Uh, foul." He said lamely.

A cry of pain from the other side of the room indicated that the stray cue ball had found a target. Snaptrap strained to see over the heads in the room to see whom it was he hit. He froze when he saw the "victim" coming towards him. It was Pat.

_Terrific_, he thought.

Pat came up to the german shepherd while holding up the cue ball accusingly. "Is this yours?" She asked, obviously annoyed.

Snaptrap(Victor) gulped. "Uh, yes?"

Pat narrowed her eyes. "Nice shot. You just hit me in the back! Who are you anyway?"

"Uh, I'm uh," Snaptrap stalled as he strained to remember the name he gave himself, "I'm Vuh- Oh yeah! I'm Victor Thaddeus, Richard uh, von Marzipan. I'm a friend...of Matt's."

Pat put her hands on her hips. "One of Matt's friends huh? I shoulda known. Well, I'm his sister Patricia Snaptrap. Where'd you learn to play pool anyway, Mr. von Marzipan?"

Snaptrap(Victor) straightened up, trying to sound confident. "I'll have you know I'm an excellent pool player. I just got a little carried away that's all. Experts do that sometimes you know."

"Expert?!" A voice laughed mockingly. The guests parted and out strolled Dr. Rabies and Madame Catastrophe. It was Madame C who had made the remark. She beared a striking resemblance to TUFF Agent Kitty Katswell: a tan cat with black hair and green eyes except, like Dr. Rabies, she too had a black eyepatch and goatee(Yes, she had a goatee).

"Is that what you call yourself?" Madame Catastrophe scoffed, "You have a very high opinion of yourself, Mr. von Marzipan. Or should I say: a great delusion?"

Snaptrap(Victor) only glared in reply. Madame Catastrophe turned to Pat. "Why Pat, how nice that you were able to join us," she said in a mocking sweet tone, "I thought you'd be busy dying your hair...you know to hide those grey areas." She glanced down at Pat's blue stained legs. "Or maybe it's not your hair that needs dying," she concluded.

Pat tried to speak sweetly through clenched teeth. "Oh, my hair's fine, Dear, thank you. I thought _you'd_ be too busy shaving."

Snaptrap(Victor) gave a slight snicker. Madame Catastrophe's eyes hardened as she touched the facial hair on her chin. She gave Pat a wicked smile. "Better to have a bit on the chin, than alot on the waist," she growled.

Pat drew back a bit, as she quickly felt her hips. Snaptrap's(Victor's) eyes widened a bit.

_Did...Did she just call Pat fat?_

Pat looked a bit hurt by the remark, but she straightened up and stared challengingly at Madame C. "You talk like you're all that, Catastrophe, but how about proving it, you and Dr. Rabies?"

"Ooo, is that a challenge I detect?" Madame C asked, "Well, I'm game, whatever it is." She turned to Dr. Rabies. "How about you, Darling?"

Dr. Rabies smiled insolently, "I'm all for a little competition. No matter how "little" the competition may be."

"Just be careful it's nothing to sportsy, Patricia," Madame Catastrophe warned with a chuckle, "A woman of your...girth...may be at a slight disadvantage."

Snaptrap noticed the slight sting in Pat's eyes from the remark. He even heard a few snickers from those around them. A strange feeling came over him. A feeling of...pity...and protectiveness towards his sister. He glared back at Dr. Rabies and Madame C, with teeth clenched.

Pat composed herself and nodded towards the pool table. "How about a game of pool?" She suggested.

Dr. R and Madame C glanced at one another and nodded. "Agreed," Dr. Rabies spoke. "But you'll need a partner too, my dear Pat."

"I'll do it."

Everyone turned to Victor von Marzipan who had spoken. He stared determinedly at Dr. Rabies and Madame Catastrophe. "I'll be her partner," he volunteered.

Pat stared at him in surprise. "You?"

Snaptrap(Victor) nodded. "We'll show these jerky stupid heads," he said, "Just give me a chance, Sis-I mean, Miss Snaptrap."

Pat stared at him, looking slightly puzzled. Something about the juvenile remark he just made reminded her of someone. She then shrugged and said, "Fine. But only because no one else seems to want to."

"Sweet!" The dapper dog replied. He turned to Rabies and Catastrophe. "You're going down, Losers!"

"Before we begin," Dr. Rabies said contemplatively as he stroked his goatee, "Why don't we make this a little more interesting? A wager perhaps?"

Pat and "Victor" looked at each other then back at the Doctor. "Alright," Pat replied.

"Excellent!" Dr. R exclaimed. "Let's see...the losers have to...stand out on deck and declare the winners to be the greatest villains in the world...while doing a dance dressed as Quacky the Duck and the Sharing Moose. "

"Deal," Pat said without blinking an eye. Snaptrap merely gulped. There were mumbles of amusement throughout the audience. This match just became a lot more interesting.

Madame Catastrophe turned to the spectators. "You are all our witnesses!" She declared, "If you heard the wager agreements say, 'Aye!'"

"Aye!" Everyone shouted at once. Madame C turned to Pat and Snaptrap, smiling smugly.

"Well, then," she purred, "Let the games begin."

The players chose their cue sticks and the billiard balls were set up. Dr. Rabies made an elegant wave with his hand to the two opponents. "After you," he said mockingly.

Pat took her cue stick and aimed carefully. With a small clack, she sent the cue ball towards the colorful billiard balls, scattering them in different directions. Madame Catastrophe's turn was next. She struck the cue ball which struck another ball, sinking it into a pocket. She smirked at Pat who just glared in reply. Then it was Snaptrap's(Victor's) turn. His hands trembled a bit as he aimed his cue stick. He could hear Dr. Rabies laughing quietly. He was so nervous he struck the cue ball a little harder than he should. The cue ball rocketed off the table striking a wall. It then bounced right back to Snaptrap, smacking him in the face, and zoomed right towards the table where it struck a billiard ball. The ball rolled smack into another ball which caused them both to fall into a pool pocket. There were ooos and ahhhs from the audience as they softly applauded. Even Pat looked amazed at the outcome. She turned to "Victor."

"Nice shot," she said in amazement. "A little unorthodox, but it worked."

Snaptrap rubbed his sore snout and gave a lopsided grin. "Told you I was an expert," he replied.

The game continued on, both teams doing moderately well. Snaptrap made more misses than any of them, but he still kept up. Everyone was silent as the game got more suspenseful with each sink of a ball. Soon thirteen of the fifteen balls had gone onto the pockets with two balls left. Doctor Rabies and Madame Catastrophe had sunk seven balls while Pat and "Victor" has sunk only six. Pat and Snaptrap(Victor) were in a pickle. Even if they made one shot, Dr. R and Madame C still had a chance of winning if they sunk the remaining ball. If Pat and Snaptrap(Victor) wanted to win, they would have to sink both of the remaining balls in either one shot or after their opponent's turn...both of which were a long shot, especially given the angles that both balls were positioned at. To make matters worse...it was Snaptrap's(Victor's) turn. Madame Catastrophe laughed.

"Well, Victor, it appears you're in quite the predicament, is it not? No pressure now." Both she and Dr. Rabies chuckled smugly.

Snaptrap gave a big, nervous gulp. The light seemed brighter than ever and he could feel beads of sweat on his snout. He glanced at Pat who was nibbling one claw anxiously. He could feel the tension in the air.

_Why did I get mixed up in this?_ He thought mournfully.

"Hurry up!" Madame Catastrophe snapped impatiently, "I want to have your humiliation posted online by this evening!"

"Oh, the heck with it!" Snaptrap(Victor) suddenly shouted. He closed his eyes and struck the ball as hard as he could in a leap of faith. The cue ball shot off the pool table and ricocheted off the nearest wall, causing it to bounce all over the room. Onlookers shouted and ducked to avoid being beaned on the head. The heads of both teams shook back and forth as they followed the ball's pathway. As the the cue ball began to slow, it shot towards the pool table, striking one of the remaining balls. The ball speedily bumped off the sides of the table, eventually striking the other remaining ball. Both balls were now bumping back and forth across the pool table as if they were in a pinball machine. The teams looked on anxiously. Spectators were straining their necks to get a good view of the outcome. The two balls began to slow down and rolled to opposite directions. Snaptrap(Victor) covered his eyes with both hands, afraid to look.

Clunk! Clunk!

The sound made him peek out through his fingers. Both balls had vanished...right into opposite pockets.

The room was deathly quiet. Suddenly there was a burst of applause, cheering, and cries of amazement. Pat and Snaptrap(Victor) stood stone still, staring at the pockets where the balls had sunk in. Dr. Rabies and Madame Catastrophe also stared, their mouths hanging wide open in disbelief.

A slap on his back caused Snaptrap to come out of his stupor. Before he knew it, all the villains in the room were shaking his hands and congratulating him. He was confused for a moment, then slowly started to smile as he realized he was the star of the hour...something he had never dreamed he would be in his whole life. He turned as he felt another pat on the back. It was Pat, smiling impressively.

"Ha! Ha! Great shot, Vic!" she exclaimed, "Guess you really are a pool expert...even if your methods are weird. You did good."

Snaptrap(Victor) beamed. _You did good_. He never thought he'd hear those words from Pat. "Thanks Si-I mean, Miss Snaptrap," he replied gratefully.

"Eh, call me Pat," Pat insisted. "Wait'll I tell Matt about this."

"Actually, I already know."

Pat and Snaptrap turned to see Matt and Collette standing next to them. Matt smiled. "I saw the whole thing. Well done you two, well done."

"You were both amazing," Collette spoke, "Especially you, Monsieur Marzipan. That was a magnificent shot. Tre' bien."

"Uh, thanks," Snaptrap(Victor) replied, blushing a bit, "Er, Tray Bean to you too, Miss uh..."

"Collette," the pretty skunk answered, shaking his hand, "Collette Parfume. It is nice to meet you, Monsieur von Marzipan."

"Er, c-call me, Victor," Snaptrap(Victor) said.

"Oh, that's right, you two haven't met yet." Matt spoke. He introduced "Victor" to the beautiful French skunk. "Collette runs a small but successful perfume company," Matt explained, smiling at Colette. "And she does a bit of smuggling on the side."

"Neat," Snaptrap(Victor) replied, "Uh, no offense, Miss Parfume, but, you don't really look like the bad guy type."

"Oh I know," Collette answered sweetly. She gave a sly smile. "It is actually a great advantage for me. No one would suspect that a petite skunk such as myself would be smuggling jewels and valuables in some of my perfume bottles."

Matt chuckled, "Quite clever isn't it? And Collette also happens to be an expert at boating."

Pat snickered. "Yeah, and making you blush. Ow! Hey!"

Matt had given Pat's leg a slight kick, his face turning red. "Ahem! Er, say, why don't we go out on deck?" He suggested, "I'm sure we want a good view for Dr. Rabie's and Madame Catastrophe's (chuckle) 'performance. I can't wait for...Good heavens! Pat! What on earth has happened to your face?!"

"Huh?" Pat began to feel all over her face, "What's wrong with my face?"

"Ew," Collette, spoke looking closer at her, "You are breaking out in red spots. Like some sort of allergic reaction."

Snaptrap(Victor) clapped his hand to his mouth. He was so into the pool game that he forgot he had sabotaged Pat's makeup. He had put only a few drops in it from a vial he had, but it was enough. Now ugly red splotches were breaking out all over Pat's face and neck. She took a compact mirror out of her pocket and glanced into it. She dropped it with a scream of shock.

"AAAAAHHHHH!"

Her scream caused everyone to turn and look at her. They gasped and started pointing and whispering. Dr. Rabies and Madame Catastrophe snapped out of their shock at the sight of her and laughed.

"Blue legs and red spots!" Madame Catastrophe laughed cruelly, "Quite a fashion statement you are making, Pat. It suits you well!"

Snaptrap watched his sister run out the room with watery eyes and her hands covering her face. Dr. Rabies and Madame Catastrophe continued their cruel laughter. Snaptrap stared at them, their laughter ringing in his ears. Suddenly he felt angry. Very angry. Straightening himself up, he stomped over to them.

"HEY JERKS! SHUT IT!"

His shout caused them and everyone else in the room to be silent. Snaptrap(Victor) bared his teeth at Dr. R and Madame C, then made his mouth slowly turned upward into a wicked smile. "I wouldn't be laughing if I were you two," he said loud enough for everyone to hear, "You guys still have a 'show' to put on...Quacky and Sharing Moose."

Dr. Rabies and Madame Catastrophe's eyes nearly popped out of their heads, as they remembered that they had lost the wager. They had no retort to give.

Snaptrap(Victor) turned and addressed the guests in the room. "You guys were witnesses. We agreed to the wages, now they gotta pay it, right?" Everyone cheered in agreement while Dr. Rabies and Madame Catastrophe exchanged nervous glances. Snaptrap(Victor) turned to Mad Cow and Kung Pow Chicken beside him. "Would you two gents see to it that these two honor their bet, fair and square?" He asked in a gentlemanly way.

Mad Cow and Kung Pow Chicken both grinned maliciously. "We'd be delighted, Mr. von Marzipan," Mad Cow chuckled, pounding his fists together.

Snaptrap(Victor), Matt, and Collette watched as Mad Cow and Kung Pow Chicken escorted the losers out to get into their costumes, with the rest of the guests following them. Matt turned to Victor."Thank you for standing up for Pat, Victor," he said, "I do hope she's alright."

"Uh, sure, no problem," Snaptrap(Victor) replied. He looked to where his sister had run out. He didn't understand. He should be glad he got his revenge on Pat. He should've been laughing his head off.

But for some reason...he didn't feel like laughing.

* * *

**Revenge might not be as fun as Snaptrap thought it would be.**

**Wow, what a match! Would you believe I've never played pool? At least not a real game, just basic hit the darn balls into the I had to look up the rules and stuff to make sure I got the portrayal here right. And it looks like Snaptrap's dumb luck saved the day...that's cartoon characters for ya. And it looks like he gained a bit of admiration from both his siblings. If only they knew who "Victor" really was. Then again..maybe for now it's best that they don't.**

**Madame Catastrophe is just as big a jerk as Dr. Rabies isn't she? Heh, heh, at least they both got their just desserts...for now.**

**So, will Snaptrap continue the revenge route...or will he have seconds thoughts? More to come.**

**Looks like Snaptrap may be having second thoughts about this whole revenge thing.**


	6. Chapter 6 - Bonding

**Matt, Pat, and Verminious Snaptrap (c) Butch Hartman**

* * *

Snaptrap (still disguised as Victor von Marzipan) followed Matt down the hallway to Pat's room. Matt(After excusing himself from Colette) had wanted to check in on her and asked "Victor" if he would accompany him. As they continued walking, Snaptrap's mind was racing with conflicting thoughts and emotions.

_I don't get it. My revenge is working perfectly. I'm finally getting back at my snobby brother and sister. I should feel like I'm on top of the world right now. So how come I feel so low? Fine time for me to get a conscience!_

At that moment, they finally arrived at Pat's room. Matt knocked on the door. "Pat? It's Matt and Victor, are you alright?"

"Go away!" Pat replied from within, a hint of a sob in her voice.

Matt tried again. "Pat, come now, it's just your brother and a friend. We just wanted to check on you."

"No! I look gross!" Pat cried.

Matt looked at "Victor" and shrugged helplessly. Snaptrap(Victor) stared at the door. Before he knew it, he was knocking on it. "Come on, Sis-I mean Pat!" He said. "It's not that bad! No one's laughing anymore. Especially that stupid Rabies and Catastrophe! Ha! You should've seen the face on those losers when I told them to zip it and reminded them of our bet! What a bunch of yahoos!"

There was silence in Pat's room for a moment. Then a small click was heard. The door opened and Pat peeked out, her face still covered in spots. She stared at Snaptrap(Victor) looking confused. He began to feel uneasy.

_Great, what did I do now? _He thought.

"What did you just say?" Pat asked.

"Huh?" Snaptrap(Victor) replied, "Oh uh, I said no one's laughing any-"

"No," Pat interrupted, "I mean, what was that you called Rabies and Catastrophe?"

"Oh, I called them yahoos. And what yahoos they are, I can tell you."

Pat opened the door a little wider. Still looking a bit puzzled. Snaptrap (Victor) Couldn't take it any more. "What?" He asked. "Did I say something stupid?"

"Uh, no, sorry," Pat apologized, "It's just funny you called them 'yahoos'. See, our little brother uses that word sometimes."

An alarm went off in Snaptrap's head. _Stupid! Stupid! Stupid!_ He scolded himself. He gave what he hoped was a convincing smile. "Y-You don't say?" He stuttered a bit. "Uh, he's that Verminious Snaptrap fellow Dr. Rabies mentioned earlier right?"

Matt sighed. "Unfortunately, yes."

Snaptrap(Victor) turned to Matt, trying not to look offended by his brother's tone. "Aw, come on, he can't be that bad."

Pat leaned against the door way. "Yeah, well, the thing is...he is. Verm is uh, kinda the black sheep of our family."

Matt adjusted his monocle. "Well, that's _one_ way of putting it. You see, Victor, the Snaptraps are a family of successful villains, we always have been. But, Verminious...well he... he doesn't quite live up to the title of 'villain', so to speak."

"Basically, he stinks at being a bad guy," Pat concluded bluntly, "He...kinda stinks at everything, actually."

"Indeed he does," Matt agreed with a hopeless sigh, "Honestly, sometimes I find it hard to believe I'm actually related to him. Let alone that he's my brother."

Snaptrap(Victor) shrugged, trying not to sound hurt, "I'm-I'm sure he tries his best."

"Well, if that's his best I'd hate to see his worst," Pat stated, "Verm is just the type of guy that isn't that good at anything."

"Oh," Snaptrap(Victor) replied, feeling a little numb by what his siblings said. _So that's what they really think of me. Why was I feeling guilty again?_

Pat spoke again, distracting Snaptrap from his thoughts. "So you really told those two off, huh?"

"Well, sort of," Snaptrap(Victor) replied, "All I really did was call them jerks and made sure they kept their end of the bet."

"Still, it was amazing," Matt spoke. He smiled slyly. "And rather enjoyable to watch. It's about time someone knocked those two off their high horses."

"You guys don't like them, do ya'?" Snaptrap(Victor) asked.

"Isn't it obvious?" Pat stated, "Those two are always giving us a hard time. Always thinking they're better than us...just cause we're sewer rats...and because Verm is our little brother."

"What's wrong with sewer rats?" Snaptrap(Victor) asked.

"Exactly," Matt declared, grumpily. "The thing is, Victor, rats, especially those of the 'sewer' variety, are considered the...low life of the animal kingdom, along with snakes and cockroaches. That's why the Snaptraps try to maintain a classy, professional image. Yes, we are villains, but we maintain style, poise, and sophistication through it all. Well, maybe with the exception of one member, which, as Pat mentioned, is another thing Rabies and Catastrophe annoy us about. They never hesitate to remind us that we're related to the worst villain in all of Petropolis. You see, Pat and I, we've done very well in the criminal business. But no matter how much we excel, our younger brother is almost like a shadow, following us wherever we go. Verminious and his actions, in a way, are a reflection of me and Pat as well as the entire Snaptrap family...and it's not a very good reflection. Do you understand what I'm saying?"

"Uh, yeah...I think I get it," Snaptrap(Victor) replied quietly. No wonder Matt and Pat didn't want him coming to the party. They were embarrassed by him. But it's not like he made the family look bad on purpose. He tried his best to be bad, he really did. Didn't that at least count for something? Well, however his siblings felt towards him, Dr. Rabies and Madame Catastrophe sure weren't making things any better from the sound of it. He started to feel even more angry towards those two. Making his family sound like idiots. And Matt and Pat, boy did they make him feel low right now, even though they didn't know Victor was really him. And yet... he also felt...kinda bad for them because of what they had to go through with the other villains: always trying to look good to them, making sure they didn't lose favor with them or lose their high social status in society. In fact if he didn't know better, from the way they spoke about it, Matt and Pat almost sounded...a little insecure. They were being put down and ridiculed the same way they put their little brother down. Was this why they made fun him? Snaptrap was confused. Should he feel hurt? Anger? Pity? He thought about all this in silence, while differing emotions collided within him. Suddenly he shouted:

"WHO NEEDS 'EM?!"

Matt and Pat both jumped at his sudden outburst. "Er, I...beg your pardon?" Matt asked.

Snaptrap(Victor) stared at his siblings. "Who needs stupid Rabies and Catastrophe?! And who needs these other villain jerks?! Who died and made them leaders of the world? Not me that's for darn sure! We're great villains! I say the heck with 'em! Let's go enjoy the party and have some dang blasted fun!"

Matt and Pat stared at "Victor" in utter amazement. Then Pat slowly smiled. "You know, you're right, Vic. I'm not gonna let those two killjoys ruin' my fun. No one's gonna get Patricia Snaptrap down!"

"Here, here!" Matt agreed. "I want to enjoy my birthday and that's precisely what I intend to do! Speaking of which...it should be almost time for Dr. Rabies and Madame Catastrophe's (chuckle) performance. Shall we go see it?"

Pat and "Victor" grinned at each other and turned to Matt.

"Let's shall," they replied in unison.

Matt, Pat, and "Victor" were relaxing in the yacht's snack bar and in complete laughter, having just seen Dr. Rabies and Madame Catastrophe's "dance show". Actually, everyone on the yacht had seen it. The trio were just discussing what they had seen while each one was enjoying a fizzy tropical drink.

"I've never laughed so hard in my life!" Pat exclaimed, shaking with mirth.

"I must say it was very entertaining!" Matt laughed, wiping a tear of merriment from his eye, "Usually I consider such entertainment juvenile, but in this case, I'll make an exception. I really wish I had thought to record it."

"I recorded it," Snaptrap(Victor) chuckled while surfing internet on his cell phone, "And I posted it as soon as it was over. One thousand hits and still goin'!"

"Villainous, Victor, absolutely villainous," Matt complimented with an amused grin, "You'll have to send me an e-mail of that clip."

Pat(Who had borrowed some makeup to cover up her red splotches) sat back in her chair, breathing a sigh of relief. "Boy, am I glad I didn't have to do that. I don't think I could've taken any more embarrassment."

"Well, you have Victor here to thank for that, Pat," Matt replied. He turned to his new friend, who was finishing the rest of his drink.

"You know, Victor, I'm glad you ended up coming to my party. You've definitely livened things up around here."

_You have no idea_, Snaptrap(Victor) thought to himself.

"By the way," Matt continued, "I'd also like to thank you for cheering my guests up, even if you didn't intend to. Some of them were still a bit upset over the incident at lunch and this was just the thing to take their minds off of it...as well as get me back on their good side. You've made things a little bit better for me and my guests."

"Me too," Pat agreed, "Matt and I were both pretty lucky you came along."

Snaptrap(Victor) looked up from his drink, completely stunned. Better? Lucky? Did his siblings, in a way, just admit that they were glad he came? He couldn't believe it. So what if they thought he was Victor von Marzipan? This was probably the nicest thing they ever said to him. He smiled genuinely.

"R-Really? Gee, thanks you guys," he responded, realizing that he truly was grateful.

"What say we go and enjoy the rest of the festivities?" Matt suggested, standing up.

"Why not?" Pat agreed, also getting out of her chair. "You coming,Vic?"

Snaptrap(Victor) looked behind him, thinking that Pat was talking to someone else. Then noticing that Matt and Pat were staring at _him_, he realized that they were inviting him to join them.

"Who me? Really? You want me to hang with you guys?" He asked, surprised.

"Why of course," Matt answered, "We'd love to have you along."

"Yeah, you up for it?" Pat asked.

_Love to have you along_.

Something about those words seemed to touch something deep inside Snaptrap. He rubbed at his eyes which, for some reason started to feel a bit watery. He leaped up off of his chair, beaming.

"You bet I'm up for it!"

Snaptrap would have never dreamed in a million years that he could actually have fun with his brother and sister. They spent the rest of the day enjoying the fun activities on the yacht. There was dancing(which he especially enjoyed),where he showed off some of his dance moves, they played a game of pool(No wagering this time), did a bit of karaoke, and even played some video games. Through it all, not only did Snaptrap have fun with his siblings...he also learned a bit more about them. He never knew Matt was such a good pool player. His seemed to have a gift at calculating the perfect angles at which to strike the balls. And at karaoke, Pat proved to still be as fantastic a singer as she was when she was little. Everyone applauded her, even Snaptrap.

Matt and Pat did not know it, but they were learning a few things from their little brother as well (Even though they had no idea Victor was Snaptrap). It was Snaptrap(Victor) who actually convinced Matt to get out on the dance floor and even ended up teaching him some dance moves. He showed Pat how to do a neat new pool trick (Which he learned from Francisco). And finally, Snaptrap introduced his brother and sister to the great online game known as "World of RatCraft" and showed them the ropes. He even helped them create their avatars. There were a few times where Snaptrap's personality broke through his "Victor" disguise, but luckily, any time it did slip out, Matt and Pat just assumed that Victor was just a quirky guy.

It was getting dark when the trio took a break from all the fun. They were out on deck, resting against the railing of the yacht, looking out at the ocean. They were silent for a bit, feeling the wind rush through their fur. Then Matt spoke.

"You know, that's the most fun I've had in quite some time. This is turning out to be a fantastic birthday."

"Mm hm," Pat agreed, "You know I've heard people rave about that "World of Ratcraft" game but I never really bothered playing it. It's really a lot of fun."

"I must admit, I greatly enjoyed it," Matt admitted, "I use to think video games were just for children and teenagers, but now I just may have to reconsider that."

Snaptrap "Victor" couldn't help but smile. "I can't believe you guys never played it," he said in amusement, "let alone never played video games."

Matt leaned against the railing. "Well, it's not that we've never played, it's just that...we haven't played in a long time. In fact, the last time I really remember playing them was when I was just a rat pup. Verminious and I use to play them all the time."

Snaptrap (Victor's) ears perked up. "You remember- I mean really?" He asked.

Matt nodded. He gave a small amused smile as he recalled the memory. "Yes, I still remember the two of us sitting in front of the TV, playing. We would really get into the game, shouting directions to each other. Much to the annoyance of our mother. Our favorites were the fighting games." Matt paused then scratched his nose in amusement. "Heh, you know, we'd sometimes try to distract one another to get in a few extra hits. All in good fun, of course."

He stared out at the sea somewhat wistfully. "Funny, that...seems so long ago now."

Snaptrap(Victor) couldn't believe his ears. He thought Matt had forgotten all that. "It sounds like you guys actually had fun," he said.

Matt continued to stare ahead. "We did," he admitted.

"So...what happened?" Snaptrap(Victor) asked.

After some silence, Matt just sighed and shrugged. "We got older...we changed."

A tiny pang of sadness hit Snaptrap(Victor). There was something morbidly hopeless about Matt's statement. He stared down at the water quietly. Then he turned to Pat. "You know, Pat, that was a great show you put on at the karaoke, he complimented, "You're a really good singer."

Pat smiled. "Thanks. I've always had a fondness for singing. I always dreamed about being a singer when I was little. I'd sometimes put on a performance for my dolls." She rolled her eyes. "Verm would sometimes 'crash' my performances. He'd pretend my dolls were a mosh pit and stage dived on them. Heh, that nerd."

Snaptrap(Victor) noticed that Pat did not sound angry at the recollection. Instead, she sounded amused...wistfully happy in fact. Pat tapped her claws on the railing as she continued. "It ticked me off when he'd do that. But you know, now when I think about it, it actually kinda makes me laugh now. Verm always loved being a little goofball."

Snaptrap (Victor) gave a small smile. He remembered hearing his sister singing sometimes when they were little, and how he, indeed would interrupt her...not to be mean, but just being a goofball little brother. He never thought he would hear Pat admit that she looked back on those times as a fond memory of her little brother.

Pat turned to Snaptrap(Victor), interrupting his thoughts. "What about you, Vic?" She asked. "You got any siblings?"

Snaptrap(Victor) answered without thinking. "Yeah, a brother and sister...oop!" He quickly covered his mouth, but it was too late.

"A brother and sister?" Matt repeated. "What are their names?"

"Oh uh, their names are Ma-I mean Mark and uh, P-Penny," Snaptrap(Victor) lied.

"Do you see them often?" Pat asked.

Snaptrap(Victor) stared out at the ocean, suddenly seeming lost in thought.

"No, I don't see them a whole lot...actually they don't really see me that much either...hardly even. To tell ya the truth I-I don't think they even like me."

"That's a shame," Matt replied, "You seem like a nice fellow."

"Yeah, well, they don't think so," Snaptrap(Victor) answered moodily. "In fact, I think my brother and sister hate my guts. They always act uppity with me, just cause they think I'm not as classy or smart as them. We did get along once, but now, we're just so...so different from one another." He rested his chin on the railing. "They probably wish I was never born," he muttered.

Matt and Pat stared at their friend sadly, but also strangely. There was something familiar about him at that moment. Something about him that reminded them of someone. Matt held his monocle out, peering intently at the dapper dog.

"Victor, are...are you sure we haven't met somewhere before?" He asked.

Snaptrap(Victor) straightened up immediately. He sounded scared as he spoke."Uh no! Never! Er, I...that is..."

He was then cut short as a server came up to Matt. "Mr. Snaptrap, the food for dinner is all prepared," the server announced to the slender rat, "Do you want us to wait for you before we serve the guests?"

Matt put his monocle back on while answering. "Oh, drat, I completely forgot about dinner. Um, no. Let's not keep the guests waiting. Begin serving and tell them I'll be there as soon as I can."

The server nodded and left to carry out the orders. Snaptrap saw this as an opportunity to head back to his room before Matt and Pat could question him more. "You know, I'd better go freshen up a little," he said while backing away towards the doors, "All that partying can make a guy look pretty ragged, heh. I'll uh, see you guys at dinner. Great party, Matt!"

Before Matt or Pat could respond, Snaptrap(Victor) was already indoors and running back to his room. The two rats watched in silence as he left. Then Pat spoke: "You know, Victor seems like an okay guy. Kinda weird, but a real hoot to be around."

"Yes, he is entertaining if not a bit eccentric," Matt agreed, "Though I swear there's something strangely familiar about him."

"Speaking of strange," Pat spoke, "Was it just me, or was Victor acting a little weird before we were interrupted?"

"You know, I was beginning to sense that too," Matt answered. "Especially after I asked him if we've met before. It's almost as if he was hiding something."

"Yeah," said Pat, "Well, maybe he's just a very private guy. Some people are like that."

"Hmm, perhaps," Matt replied thoughtfully, "Well, private or not, Victor has been great company. I'm glad you decided to invite him, Pat."

Pat turned to her brother with a perplexed expression. "Huh? I didn't invite him. I thought you did."

"What? No!" Matt replied in surprise, "I've never even met Victor before today. He told me he was _your_ friend."

"Well, he told me he was yours," Pat responded.

Both siblings stared at each other, completely baffled. Then Matt's eyes widened as he realized something. "Pat," he began slowly as it all came back to him, "When I was speaking to Victor at lunch, he told me about some of his past crimes. They sounded a bit familiar to me for some reason, but I didn't think much of it. But right now it just hit me. Those were the crimes that Verminious had committed, or at least tried to, in the past. I remember now, I saw the headlines in the papers."

Pat's eyebrows raised in surprise. Matt pondered it all quietly, then straightened himself up, a determined look in his eye.

"Come on," he said walking purposefully towards the deck doors. "I believe Mr. von Marzipan has some explaining to do."

* * *

**Uh, oh, Matt ****suspects something. Is the jig up for our crazy rat?**

**A real awww chapter here. Snaptrap actually having fun with his sibs.^^ Sure, Matt and Pat didn't know it _was_ Snaptrap, but it doesn't make it any less heart warming.**

**Hmm, rather thought provoking in the beginning. Looks like Snaptrap's siblings may be just as insecure as he is. Guess, Matt and Pat have some things in common with their little brother after all.**

**More to come...much more.;)**


	7. Chapter 7 - Dangerous Waters

**Matt, Pat, Verminious Snaptrap, Dr. Rabies, and Madame Catastrophe (c) Butch Hartman**

**Colette Parfume (c) Me**

* * *

Snaptrap opened the door to his room and closed it with a slam. After changing back to his rat form, he then threw himself on one of the beds.

"Whew! Man, that was close!"

Snaptrap reached under the bed and pulled out his suitcase. Opening it, he took out Vincent, laid back down on his back, and began to speak to his macabre friend.

"I nearly blew my cover back there, Vincent. I guess I was getting caught up in the emotional moment back there. Anyways, wow, did I have a great time! Bet you'll never guess where I was this whole time."

Vincent just smiled silenty. Snaptrap gave a wide grin.

"I was hanging out with Matt and Pat! Yeah, you heard right! We were out having fun on the ol' yacht. Me and my brother and sister. Can you believe it? I never thought I'd ever actually enjoy being with those two. And you know what else Vincent? I...I liked it. I really liked it. We had fun together. Matt and Pat actually had fun...with me."

Snaptrap's smile then turned into a worried frown. He slowly sat up on the bed.

"But...they didn't have fun with _me_, at least they didn't know they were. Th-They hought they were having fun with _Victor_. I bet if they knew it was me, it'd be a totally different story. They like Victor von Marzipan...not their little brother."

Snaptrap bit his lip as he pondered. The realization was hurtful...and yet, in a way, good news for him. One one hand, he was finally not being shoved aside nor put down by his siblings. They liked being with him and having him along. He wasn't seen as a loser by them, or anyone else for that matter. He liked it.

But on the other hand, it was only when he was in his von Marzipan disguise where he was accepted. If Matt and Pat found out that Victor was him...would they feel any different? Or would they just go back to treating him like before? Snaptrap fell back on his bed with a groan. His plan of revenge wasn't exactly going as he had planned. He was suppose to just sneak on the yacht and ruin things for his brother and sister. He never would've guessed that they'd end up liking his Victor persona...or that he would actually enjoy spending time with them. He lay there on the bed, trying to figure it all out. As he did he glanced over into his suitcase and noticed something in there that he had not seen before. Snaptrap's eyes opened wide as he recognized the object. He slowly reached in, pulled it out, and stared at it.

It was the picture he had accidentally taken from Matt's room. He must have shoved it into his suitcase while he was quickly packing for the yacht. Snaptrap peered closely at it. It was a photo of three rat pups at a beach. One was covered in a small mound of sand with only it's head and legs poking out. The small pup looked on happily as the other two, also smiling, were piling more sand on it, obviously in good fun. Snaptrap stared at the picture as if in a trance, his mind going far back. Finally, after some hard thinking, he turned to Vincent who was resting on the bed beside him.

"You know, Vincent," he said decidedly, "It does kinda hurt that it's my Victor persona my siblings like...but so what? For once I'm not being left behind. For once they're not being all smug with me or calling me a loser. I'm finally one of them. I'm finally a star. I...I'm gonna keep my von Marzipan identity. Not all the time. Just for when I'm with Mat and Pat. Course I'll still have to be dumb ol' Snaptrap around them sometimes so they don't get suspicious. If it's Victor von Marzipan they want, then that's what they're gonna get."

As he spoke, he looked into the suitcase again, and for the first time noticed something drastically different about it.  
"Hey!" He exclaimed, "My stuff! Where's all my stuff?! All my vial mixtures! I've been robbed! I can't believe this! What's the world coming too where you can't leave something lying around on a yacht full of villains?!" He made a huff of annoyance then turned to Vincent. "Well, at least they didn't take you, Vince."

A knock on the room door snapped Snaptrap out of his rant. He sat up on the bed and quickly changed back into Victor before answering.

"Who is it?"

"Victor? It's us, Matt and Pat. We would like speak with you. It's very important."

Snaptrap froze at the sound of Matt's voice. Very important. Why didn't he like the sound of that? Thinking quickly, he stored Vincent under the bed covers and shoved the suitcase under the bed. Realizing he was still holding the picture, he stuffed it into the pillow case. Then trying to sound calm, he answered his brother.

"Oh, uh, sure, come on in."

The door opened and Matt entered in, followed by Pat. Judging by their expressions, he knew they weren't just stopping by to say hi. Snaptrap(Victor) gave what he hoped was a casual grin. "Uh, hey guys! What's up?"

"Actually, we were hoping you could tell us," Matt responded, folding his arms resolutely.

Snaptrap(Victor) could fell his heartbeat starting to quicken. "W-what do you mean?" He asked.

Matt adjusted his monocle casually, his voice not betraying anything. "Well, Victor, Pat and I were just talking and we just made an interesting discovery. Originally we had both assumed that you were the other's friend, from what you told us. But it turns out...neither Pat nor I have ever even met you until today."

Snaptrap(Victor) began to sweat a bit as Matt continued. "And another thing, those 'crimes' you told me about earlier that you supposedly committed. I just remembered that those were crimes committed in the past by our younger brother, Verminious."

Snaptrap(Victor) tugged restlessly on his collar. The room started to feel a lot warmer than before. He had to think of a good explanation and he had to think of one fast. Matt stared at Victor, with a serious expression.

"Well?" He asked, indicating he was expecting an answer.

Snaptrap(Victor) gulped. "Uh, okay, okay, the truth is...I...I'm...

"You'rrrrre..." Pat urged expectantly.

Snaptrap(Victor) sighed. "Okay, the thing is I'm...not a major criminal, like I said before. Not even mediocre. I'm not rich like you guys or anyone here. I don't even own a yacht. I'm uh, kind of a no-name. I _am_ Victor Marzipan...but there's no 'von' in the title. I...I just stuck that in to sound high class."

"Mmm-hm, " Matt replied, not sounding entirely convinced.

"See, I heard about your party," Snaptrap(Victor) continued, "And I decided to try to sneak aboard. I climbed aboard when they were busy loading stuff into the yacht. And uh, about those crimes, I got those from some past articles I read from the paper. I-I didn't know that the guy who did them was your brother. I thought maybe if I hung around real professional villains, I could learn a thing or two from them...that and I wanted to be in with the in crowd." Snaptrap(Victor) rubbed the back of his neck. "So um,...yeah."

Matt and Pat looked at each other than back at Victor who just looked at them sheepishly. Matt stared at him intently, going over the whole "explanation" in his mind. Snaptrap began to shift uncomfortably. He never felt so nervous in his life.

Matt narrowed his eyes. "Victor..if that is who you are...you wouldn't perchance be the one responsible for what happened at lunch are you?"

"Huh?" Snaptrap(Victor) squeaked.

"Everyone that had eaten from the buffet became sick," Matt stated, "Including me and Pat. You ate the food yourself, yet you were perfectly fine. And then there that mishap with the pool. I had personally made sure myself that the water in there was clean and ready before we set sail. So _someone_ had to have put something in the water sometime after that. Both incidents happened at the exact same time, that couldn't have been a coincidence. And Pat's makeup...after all that happened I can't help but feel that wasn't an accident either."

Snaptrap(Victor) gulped loudly. "N-No! Why would I have anything to do with that?! Sure I snuck aboard, but that's all!"

Matt and Pat stared skeptically at Snaptrap(Victor) as if deciding whether to believe him or not. Snaptrap(Victor) jumped up from the bed in desperation. "H-Honest! I just wanted to hang out!"

A small thump was heard from the floor. Pat went to see what it was. It turned out Snaptrap's(Victor's) sudden leap off the bed had caused the pillow to slip off and fall on the floor. As Pat bent down to pick it up, she noticed something sticking halfway out of it.

"Hey," she spoke curiously while taking the item out, "I think there's something in-"

She froze as she saw what it was. Snaptrap(Victor) turned pale when he recognized the picture he had stashed in the pillow case.

Pat turned to Snaptrap(Victor). "What are you doing with this?" She whispered in a frightened tone.

Matt came over and inspected the picture. The change in his countenance was frightening. He snatched the picture out of Pat's hands and stared at it. "Th-This is mine," he whispered in disbelief, "I recognize the frame." He turn to Snaptrap(Victor) with accusation in his eyes.

"Where did you get this?" He asked darkly. "In fact, _how_ did you get this?"

Snaptrap(Victor) took a step back. He had no idea how to worm his way out of this. Matt took a few threatening paces towards him, gritting his teeth. "Tell me the truth!" He ordered. "Are you..."

Matt was cut short as a sudden commotion heard in the hallway. One of the servers was running back and forth, calling for him.

"Mr. Snaptrap! Mr. Snaptrap! Where are you?! You have to come to the dining hall right away! It's a disaster!"

Matt placed the picture on the desk and opened the room door. He called to the server. "Yes! What is it?!"

The server raced over to him, almost out of breath from his search. "Sir...there's trouble. The guests...they've...they've gotten sick again!"

"What?!" Matt exclaimed. "No! T-That's impossible!"

"I'm afraid it's so, Sir," the server replied. "You'd better come right away."

Matt was about to dash off when he paused as if just remembering something. He went back into the room and seized Snaptrap(Victor) by the collar. "You're coming along too!" He growled.

Snaptrap(Victor) whimpered as Matt yanked him down the hall with Pat following them. He had a hard time keeping up with Matt, which was only an indicator of how angry his brother was feeling at the moment. Snaptrap had a feeling that the jig was going to be up. They soon came to the dining hall, where they were met with an unpleasant scene. All the guests were acting as they had at lunch, groaning and holding their stomachs, some even vomiting into nearby planters.

Matt turned to the nearest server. "How did this happen?" He demanded.

The server shrugged feebly. "W-were not sure , Sir," he answered lamely, "They all started acting like this after eating the food. Maybe it's bad food poisoning?"

Snaptrap(Victor) couldn't believe it. The whole scene was a repeat of lunch. But, he never even touched the food for dinner. What was going on? Matt wanted to know the same thing. He pulled Snaptrap(Victor) close to him, staring him right in the face. "You have something to do with this, don't you?" He growled intensely. "Answer me right now!"

"An answer you want, Matt? Very well, I shall give you one."

Matt and Snaptrap(Victor) both turned to see Dr. Rabies smiling smugly...with a blaster pointed right at them.

Matt's eyes widened. Releasing,"Victor" he reached into his coat to draw his own blaster when Dr. Rabies stopped him.

"I woudn't do that if I were you, Matt," he warned. "Because as you will see, you are vastly outnumbered." At his signal, all the servers drew out their own blasters, aiming them at Matt, "Victor" and Pat. Everyone turned as the doors all around the dining hall opened. Many of the yacht hands and others that were serving aboard the yacht, had a blaster drawn and aimed at the sick guests. Matt glanced all around in complete shock. Realizing he was outgunned, he withdrew his hand from his coat. Dr. Rabies nodded approvingly.

"A wise choice, my friend," he said. Matt turned as he noticed Madame Catastrophe walking in, with Colette in front of her. The evil cat had a blaster against the poor skunk's back.

"Colette!," Matt cried in alarm.

"Matthew, what is going on?" Colette asked as she was pushed to his side.

"I will explain everything, My Pretty One," Dr. Rabies answered. Colette shot him a dirty look as she took hold of Matt's arm. Dr. Rabies smiled evilly at Matt and his companions as he explained.

"You see, Matt, Madame Catastrophe and I recently heard of an outside source that would pay a fortune for any spy agencies' top secret high tech gadgets and secrets: computer disks, diagrams, schematics, that sort of thing. I needed the money, so I was able to..."acquire" the goods and arrange a meeting spot. Everything was ready and in order...except for one little thing: a good way to deliver the gadgets. I pondered endlessly over this, trying to figure out the perfect way to deliver them without causing suspicion. Then I received the invitation to your party. When I saw where it was to be held on your grand yacht, it all came to me. Your yacht, the _Phantom_, it was the perfect size to smuggle and hide the goods. And if we were caught, you would take all the blame. So I began to plot how I would take over your boat."

He gestured at the workers that were aiming their blasters at the guests. "I had some of my men and hired help to disguise themselves as dockhands to load the cargo. The goods were all stored in crates that were loaded onto the yacht along with the food and supplies. Then I had the rest of my help disguise themselves as the servers that were to work aboard the yacht, which are the ones you see all around you. You're 'servers' were working for me and Madame Catastrophe the whole time!"

Both he and Madame Catastrophe laughed aloud in wicked delight. Matt glared angrily at them. "Then it was you who caused all that trouble at lunch!" He accused.

Dr. Rabies shook his head. "Sadly, no," he replied, "But I think I know who did. And I thank them for it. You see, it was because of them that I was able to incapacitate your guests."

He drew out a small vial from his pocket. Snaptrap(Victor) gasped. It was one of the vials that was missing from his suitcase. Dr. Rabies twirled it around expertly with his fingers. "Who knew that just a few small drops, would cause such a big commotion," he said in amusement.

Madame Catastrophe bared her sharp fangs in a demented grin. "And you'll never guess who we have to thank for this," she purred wickedly, "Our own Victor von Marzipan. It was in his room, where we found these vials, all conveniently hidden inside his suitcase."

Matt, Pat, Colette, and the guests all turned to "Victor," staring at him in disbelief and anger. The german shephered gulped nervously. "I-I can explain..." he started.

"Don't bother!" Madame Catastrophe snapped. "I'm glad you're to blame for this. I've been wanting to get back at you for making fools of me and Dr. Rabies!"

"Like that was hard to do," Snaptrap(Victor) spoke without thinking. He clapped his hand to his mouth when he realized what he had just said. Madame C hissed and pushed her blaster right against Snaptrap's(Victor's) chest.

"You are treading on thin ice, Marzipan!" She growled. "Anything else you wish to say with that big mouth of yours?"

Snaptrap(Victor) stared at her for a moment, then opened his mouth as if he were going to say something. Everyone gave a cry of shock when he suddenly started to change before their eyes. Victor von Marzipan's form quickly went from a well dressed german shepherd to a wild seagull. With a cry, the gull shot up into the air and glided towards the doors that led out to the deck.

"Stop him!" Dr. Rabies shouted. "Stop that seagull! Blast him!"

Cries of confusion rang out through the dining hall as half of Rabies' henchman started to fire nonstop at the seagull. Snaptrap flew back and forth willy nilly as he desperately tried to avoid the energy blasts while trying to escape outside . Miraculously, he made it out the door and was soaring above the deck.

_Yes! I'm home free!_ He thought triumphantly.

But his victory turned out to be short lived. All of a sudden, a huge blast struck him from below. He gave out a cry of pain as he plummeted down towards the deck...and right into the pool. Dr. Rabies and Madame Catastrophe came dashing out the doors, with Matt, Pat and Colette behind them. They all stared at the ripples in the pool where the "Marzipan" seagull had fallen. Sparks of electricity suddenly shot forth from the pool as a light from beneath began to glow. The seagull's head burst from the water and began floundering about, shrieking in fear and pain as the crackling of electricity could be heard all around it. The transmolecular suit that Snaptrap had been wearing was short circuiting from the water. He could no longer hold his seagull form. Everyone stared dumbly as the seagull morphed into a shapeless blob and then back into...the DOOM leader, Verminious Snaptrap.

A great gasp was heard throughout the crowd. Snaptrap coughed and gagged, spitting out water. As he floated, he stared back at all the confused guests then at Matt and Pat who's jaws hung open in utter disbelief. Snaptrap shrugged while giving a sheepish grin.

"Um...surprise?"

* * *

**Oh snap...trap. Snappy's finally found out.**

**PLOT TWIST! Dr. Rabies and Madame Catastrophe were being jerks before, but I bet you weren't expecting this from them, were ya? Some birthday this is turning out to be for Matt. First his yacht is taken over, and now he finds out his new friend was his little brother the whole time.**

**Snaptrap's gonna have a heck of a time explaining all this to his siblings...if they don't kill him first.**

**So what's in store for our crazy rat and his sibs? Keep reading...**


	8. Chapter 8 - Storm

**The only character I own is Colette and Vincent.**

**All other characters and TUFF Puppy (c) Butch Hartman**

* * *

There was an eerie almost dead silence throughout the whole yacht, save for a few surprised whispers. Matt and Pat were completely speechless at the discovery that had just been made. Victor Thaddeus Richard von Marzipan, the dapper german shepherd they had befriended, that they had such fun with the whole day...was none other than their little brother. Snaptrap swam to the side of the pool, climbed out and just stood there, staring dumbly at his siblings. Drops of water rolled off his soaking wet fur and clothes, creating a small puddle around his feet. All three of the rat siblings seemed to be at a lost for words. Many seconds had passed before Matt finally found his voice.

"You?" He asked in an incredulous whisper, "This whole time...Victor...was you?"

"No," Pat spoke in disbelief, "It-It can't be. There's no way..."

Snaptrap just stared down in reply. Matt began to walk slowly towards his brother with Pat following him.

"I knew it," he said hoarsely, "I knew it the moment I saw that picture in your room. I think, deep down I always suspected something. There was something familiar about Victor, the way he acted. There were times the thought crossed my mine, but I thought it was too impossible."

Snaptrap rubbed his arm awkwardly, not sure what to say. Then he jumped as Matt exploded in anger.

"YOU ROTTEN LITTLE WORM! I"LL WRING THAT NECK OF YOURS RIGHT OFF YOUR BODY!

Both Matt and Pat headed straight for Snaptrap with pure fury in their eyes. Snaptrap was considering jumping back into the pool, when Madame Catastrophe intervened.

"Enough!" She screeched. We have no time for your petty sibling rivalry! Guards! Seize them!"

In an instant a group of large bodied guards surrounded the trio, aiming their blasters at them. Matt, Pat, and Snaptrap knew better than to run. Dr. Rabies' walked up to them, chuckling wickedly.

"Well, well. This _is_ amusing. The great Victor von Marzipan is nothing more than the pathetic Verminious Snaptrap. So glad you could join us." He addressed his guards. "Search everyone for weapons, cell phones, or any kind of communication device, then lock them in their rooms. Set sentries all over the yacht." He smiled at the guests. "Your rooms have already been searched and cleared, so don't try anything funny. And don't even bother using the phones. I had them all disconnected earlier."

_So that's why my phone didn't work_, Snaptrap thought.

Dr. Rabies and Madame Catastrophe laughed as the guests were escorted to their rooms. There was no resistance as the guests were still sick from the poison. Dr. Rabies watched with evil glee as he addressed Madame Catastrophe.

"Everything is going according to plan, my dear, even better than I expected. Nothing can possibly go wrong now!"

It was then that the yacht gave a sudden long straining creak and began to rock a bit. There were cries of horror and confusion as the lights suddenly shut off and everyone was left in the dark. They all listened as the yacht gave a final shudder as the engine shut down. Everything came to a complete standstill. Dr. Rabies looked around frantically. He became furious.

"What! No! No! No! This cannot be happening! Not now! We are so close!"

Snaptrap bit his lip as he suddenly remembered the Scrambler Device he had placed on the yacht engine. This was the exact time he had set it to go off. He had completely forgotten about it until now. But it was only suppose to make the engine shut down, not all the power in the yacht. What went wrong? Dr. Rabies grabbed a nearby guard and roared in his face.

"Get the guards who are mechanical experts and find out what's wrong! If that engine isn't running soon, I'll throw you in the ocean for the sharks to take! Go, now!"

With a salute, the guard hurried off to carry out his master's wishes. Madame Catastrophe took control of the guests.

"See these inferiors to their rooms!" She ordered the guards.

As she watched the guests being led away, she spotted Snaptrap and his siblings amongst them. She ordered them to halt.

"Wait, I want these three tied up and placed in (chuckle) Victor von Marzipan's room. We have plans for them."

She leaned closer to Snaptrap, her eyes filled with menace. "So, Snaptrap, you are the one responsible for my humiliation earlier. Rest assured, you will not get away with that. I'll plan something extra special for you later."

Snaptrap only gulped in reply as Madame Catastrophe nodded to the guards.

"Take them away!"

After being searched and stripped of all devices, Matt, Pat, and Snaptrap were taken to "Victor von Marzipan's" room, where they were made to sit on the floor as they were bound tightly together with rope. Dr. Rabies and Madame Catastrophe looked on in approval.

"Isn't this sweet? All three of the Snaptrap Siblings, together," Madame C said in a mock sweet tone, "What a touching reunion. I'm sure you will have much to talk about."

Dr. Rabies paced around the three siblings checking to see that they were bound securely. Matt glared at him. "Surely, you don't actually expect to get away with this?" He said. "The coast guard is bound to find out."

Dr. Rabies patted Matt's snout none too gently. "Oh, don't worry yourself about that, Matt," he said casually, "Like I've said, if we are discovered, _you_ will be the one to take all the blame. This is _your _yacht after all. You see? I told you I was close to obtaining a grand vessel. And I was right. It did wipe that smug grin off your face."

Matt only narrowed his eyes at him in reply. Dr. Rabies smiled as he and Madame Catastrophe walked out of the room. "Oh, by the way," he added, "We have one more guest for you three."

The three siblings turned to see Colette being brought in, her hands and legs bound. Matt's eyes widened in sad surprise. The pretty skunk was set on the floor, near the desk. Dr. Rabies smirked at Matt. "I thought you'd like to spend some time with your 'girlfriend', Matt. It may be the last time you see each other. Goodbye for now. Enjoy your comfy room."

The door slammed shut as his laughter was left echoing in their ears. With the power still out, the captives were left in total darkness. Snaptrap was dumbfounded by how quickly everything had changed. One minute he was laughing and having fun with his siblings, and the next minute he was a captive on his brother's yacht. And now his identity had been revealed, not just to Matt and Pat, but to everyone on the entire boat. He thought back to what Matt and Pat said about him making them look bad. This definitely wasn't going to score him any favor points with them. So far, they hadn't said anything, probably still overwhelmed about what just happened combined with the shock of finding out that Victor von Marzipan was really him. That was fine with Snaptrap. He wasn't looking forward to dealing with them when they would come out of their shock. He gave a little sigh and struggled a bit with the ropes. No good, they were bound too tight.

After a length of silence, Colette spoke. "What do we do now?"

Matt sighed hopelessly. "I wish I knew. I can't believe I never saw this coming. We're at the complete mercy of those two scoundrels. I was a fool to invite them."

"You must not blame yourself," Colette said softly, "None of us knew what those two were up to. It is not your fault."

"She's right Matt," Pat agreed, "Those two jerks are the ones to blame," She gave Snaptrap a dirty look. "Along with one other traitor."

"Hey!" Snaptrap exclaimed indignantly, "I had nothin' to do with those two! I'm just as surprised as you are!"

"That's not what I meant!" Pat spat back, "We could've had a chance to fight back! But everyone was too sick to move a muscle! And why's that? Because of your stupid poison, that's why! You're not even suppose to be here! You should've just gone straight home and minded your own business!"

"Yeah, well I didn't!" Snaptrap answered back. "Sorry to burst your bubble Pat! That's what you get for not inviting your own brother!"

"Oh, don't start that, Verminious!" Matt cut in, angrily, "Pat and I have a right to invite whomever we please to our functions! And this is exactly why we didn't want you to come! All that happened today was your fault! The food at lunch! The pool! And now this!"

Snaptrap stayed silent in response. Matt sneered. "I'm right aren't I? You were responsible for all that trouble earlier, weren't you?"

Snaptrap hung his head knowing it'd be stupid to deny it. "Yeah, I did all those things...even Pat's makeup-OW!"

Pat gave Snaptrap's leg a hard kick with her sharp high-heeled shoes. "You jerk!" She cried, "I have blue legs and a gross face right now because of you! You ruined everything for us! I could kill you!"

"Okay! Okay! So all those things were my fault! I'm sorry, okay?!" Snaptrap cried.

"Sorry isn't good enough!" Pat shot back. "Sorry isn't gonna get us outta this mess! You always ruin everything! No wonder you're an embarrassment to the family!"

Snaptrap was hurt by the last remark. Suddenly, he felt defenseless. "I don't screw things up on purpose," he argued lamely, "I mean not on purpose all the time. I do my best. I try to make the family proud."

"Well, you're doing a miserable job," Matt grumbled, "Because I've yet to be proud of the fact that _you_ are my brother."

Snaptrap's ears drooped at Matt's harsh statement. He tried to look indifferent about it while ignoring the sting in his heart. "Okay, maybe I did do all that stuff earlier," he admitted, "And maybe, in a way, this _is_ my fault. But, if it means anything...I really did have fun with you guys today. And it looked like you were having a lot of fun with my Victor disguise."

"That's because we didn't know 'Victor' was really you," Matt pointed out, "If we did, we would've put you on the next boat to shore." He gave a humorless laugh. "'Von Marzipan', I should've known it was you the moment I heard that ridiculous last name. Besides, the only reason you became him was so you could get close to us and pull all those pranks!"

"No! Well...yeah, you got me there," Snaptrap agreed, "But I never planned for you and Pat to actually _like_ Victor...and I never really planned to actually _like_ being with you two. You guys acted all nice to me and stuff and you didn't make me feel dumb."

"Don't make Matt and I seem like the guilty ones ones here, Verm," Pat grumbled.

"Exactly," Matt agreed, "And trying to act sentimental with us isn't going to work. You know I consider that sort of thing undignifying."

"I wasn't!" Snaptrap stated, his frustration at a high point, "I swear-"

"You swear!" Matt shot back sarcastically, "Just like you swore you were being honest with us when you were Victor? Ha! Another one of your lies! I knew it! Near the end, I just knew that as Victor you were lying! All that nonsense you spouted in your room was a complete lie! All you've ever done since you boarded this boat was lie to us! And now, even now you still have the gall to do it! I've had enough of your filthy lies, Verminious!"

Snaptrap couldn't take it. The insults from his siblings plus the knowledge he had screwed up got to him. He shouted as loud as he could, his eyes radiating fury.

"DON'T YOU GIVE ME LESSONS ABOUT HONESTY YOU LYING, BACKSTABBING, BIG NOSED JERK!"

Matt and Pat were completely taken aback by the viciousness of Snaptrap's retort. They both shut their mouths in stunned silence. Even Colette looked frightened. Snaptrap continued his rant in sneering mockery:

"My yacht needs to be repaired! There's trouble with the engine! I had to cancel my party! I just wanna be left alone! Ha! You two thought could pull one over on 'Captain Pathetic', huh? Oh yes, I heard you guys talking all about it in the next room! Heard it right through the heating vent! Didn't think about that didja?! Who's the liar now guys?! Huh?! Who?! Well, I got back at you didn't I?! Ha! I fooled you! I fooled you both, you snotty snot-nosed snobs! Always picking on me and making me feel like crud! I got you back! Me! The 'loser' of the family! And now the three of us are tied up and held captive! You're no better than me now, Highbrows! How do you like your stupid little brother now, huh?! Yeah!"

Snaptrap started to laugh almost maniacally with a bit of shakiness to his voice as if he were trying not to cry. Matt and Pat stared in fright at their little brother, certain that he had finally lost what was left of his sanity. Then as quickly as he had become angry, he calmed down. Snaptrap slumped, breathing heavily after his tirade. Everyone just stared at him, afraid to say a word. Finally he spoke again, this time quietly and with a sad sort of hoarseness.

"I try. I try so hard."

Snaptrap suddenly became quiet, as if afraid to speak anymore. Matt and Pat just continued to stare silently at their brother, who was now just staring down at the floor. Snaptrap didn't care what they said. He was too upset at the moment to care about anything. His eye wandered back and forth across the floor and finally to under the bed, where something caught his eye. He squinted his eyes, trying to make out in the darkness what it was. Snaptrap stretched one leg out and managed snag the object with his foot. Pulling his foot back, he found Vincent attached to it. The skull grinned at Snaptrap with its ever vacant smile. Despite how he felt, Snaptrap managed to smile back.

"At least, I still have you, Vincent," he chuckled almost sadly.

Colette, who had remained silent during the whole argument, peered at the object Snaptrap was talking to.

"Is...is that a skull?" She asked, a bit shakily.

"What?" Matt replied. He looked in the direction Colette was and spotted the gruesome object. "You actually brought that thing with you?!" He exclaimed to Snaptrap.

"His name is Vincent." Snaptrap answered. "I thought it only appropriate to bring him with me for my revenge after you coldly gave him back."

"You don't give someone a skull for their birthday!" Matt retorted. "What sort of deranged mind gives one a skull for a gift?!"

"The kind of mind that was trying to get his brother a good gift!" Snaptrap answered back, still a bit hurt. "You always think everything I do is stupid!"

"That's because the things you do _are_ stupid!" Matt snapped back.

"Will you both shut up?!" Pat shouted, "You're practically shouting in my ear!"

All three siblings became quiet after that, each one silently brooding. Snaptrap fumed inwardly, both angry with his siblings and himself. Just when things were going his way, this had to happen. It was bad enough that Matt and Pat found out he was Victor, now they blamed _him_ for the takeover of the yacht. It wasn't fair.

_Why can't something good happen to me for once?_ He thought bitterly.

"Excuse, me," Colette spoke, "Um, I know you three are having...issues right now, but shouldn't we be working on a way to get out of this mess?"

Matt sighed. "I don't see how we could, Colette. Even if we were to be free of these bonds, there's still the matter that the yacht is swarming with sentries. At least the power being out has bought us some time. I'm...I'm sorry you had to be a part of this."

Colette smiled sadly. "C'est la vie," she sighed, "We can at least try and...at least I am with you."

Matt gave a small smile.

It seemed like hours to the captives that they were in that dark room. Matt, Pat, and Colette conversed, trying to think of a way out of their predicament. Snaptrap tried to contribute, at first, but every time he spoke, his siblings would silence him and refuse to listen. Eventually, he gave up trying. Fine, let them ignore him and see how far they got. Everyone stopped when they heard the door creak open and two guards carrying flashlights walked in. One of them shined a light on Colette and spoke:

"Yeah, that's her."

The two guards came over to Colette and picked her up effortlessly. The lady skunk struggled, kicking out at them as they led her away.

"Where are you taking me? Put me down!"

"Quiet!" One guard snapped. "Dr. Rabies and Madame Catastrophe would like to have a friendly 'chat'with you." He gave an evil chuckle as he finished the sentence.

Matt struggled vainly while baring his teeth at the two guards. "Leave her alone! Let her go right now or I swear I'll-"

Thwack!

Pat and Snaptrap gasped as one of the guards struck Matt in the face. "Shut up, Pretty Boy!" The guard sneered. "This is none of your business!"

Colette looked on in horror as she was taken out of the room. Snaptrap craned his neck to get a look at his brother's face and grimaced. A large red mark was left on Matt's cheek where he had been struck.

"You okay, Matt?" He asked.

Matt turned from him. "I'm not speaking to you," he answered coldly.

"That makes the two of us," Pat muttered.

"You're speaking to me now, Einsteins," Snaptrap pointed out. Neither of his siblings replied. Snaptrap huffed in annoyance and turned back to Vincent. "Yeah, I know, Vince, they can be real grouches sometimes."

"Stop talking to that thing, you insane idiot!" Matt snapped, "That blasted skull! Here's what I think of you and your so called gift!"

Matt kicked out at Vincent as hard as he could, knocking the skull across the room. It crashed against the wall and rolled to a stop.

"Ow!"

Snaptrap and his siblings froze in fright. The cry they just heard came right from the skull. They all gasped as the macabre object suddenly began to move shakily towards them.

"What...the...heck?!" Pat squeaked.

"It's impossible!" Matt whispered hoarsely.

"It's a ghost!" Snaptrap cried out. "Matt has aroused Vincent's anger! He's come to haunt us! This is all your fault, Matt!"

The skull moved closer and closer to the siblings, who began to squirm back in fright. Low moaning noises started to emanate from it's grinning mouth. Snaptrap's eyes widened as the skull came closer.

"Vincent! Don't hurt me! It's me, Snaptrap! I'm you're friend remember?! Get Matt! He's the one that kicked you! And get Pat too while you're at it!"

Then the skull spoke. "Oooh, w-what happened? Who's there?"

Snaptrap blinked. The voice didn't sound like some disembodied specter from beyond. It sounded small...and feminine.

"Vincent?" Snaptrap responded, perplexed. "You're a girl?"

"Vincent?" The skull replied. "Who's Vincent?"

Matt, Pat, and Snaptrap drew back in amazement as the skull fell over and a small creature crawled out of it. Snaptrap squinted his eyes trying to make out its shape in the darkness. It looked like a small bird. "Who...who are you?" He asked in a frightened voice. The creature responded in an equally frightened and meek voice:

"I...I'm Zippy. I work for Bridbrain."

Matt, Pat, and Snaptrap stared dumbfounded at the small animal before them. Zippy stared back at them, equally confused until her eyes fell on Snaptrap.

"Snaptrap?" She asked, squinting, "Is that you?"

Suddenly, she shot into the air like a little rocket and zoomed on over to the three rats and perched on the bed to get a closer look at the trio. She smiled. "It is you! Boy, am I glad to see a familiar face. I was scared to death with all the stuff happening out there."

Snaptrap just looked at Zippy, confused. She hopped off the bed and onto his snout. "It's me, Zippy!" She exclaimed, "You know, Birdbrain's hummingbird assistant? Magenta body, green head with three feathers on top, purple eyes...ring a bell?"

Snaptrap smiled as he recognized her. "Oh, yeah, I remember you! I invited you and Birdbrain to my party when I was gonna unleash that Doomesday device on TUFF...until their darn inventor, what's-his-name? Felsmick, ruined everything. How've ya been, Zip?"

"Oh, I've been doing okay," she replied, "Just listening to Birdbrain gloat about his evil plots, helping plan mass chaos and destruction, going to my book club... nothing really exciting."

"Um, excuse me," Matt interrupted, "But, did you say you work for Birdbrain?"

"Yeah," Zippy answered, "He sometimes works with Snaptrap and the Chameleon. But he never lets me tag along when he does."

"Ah yes, I remember him briefly mentioning you," Matt remembered, "but he never mentioned that you were here too."

Zippy puffed up her feathers looking a bit flustered. "Well uh, that's because I'm kinda not suppose to be here," she admitted, "I sneaked in. I've been on the yacht since the beginning, but I'm so small that no one's noticed me. I've been hiding out in Snaptrap's room here."

Snaptrap's eyes nearly popped out of his head. "You-you were in here the whole time?" He squeaked.

Zippy nodded. "Yeah. I flew by the windows outside to see what room I could hide in. I spotted you in this room and saw you change into that Marzipan guy. I was surprised but then I figured you must not have been invited either if you had to disguise yourself like that. I followed you back to this room and hid inside...er, Vincent. I could squeeze out under the door if I ever wanted to go on deck. I figured even if you_ did_ end up seeing me, you wouldn't rat me out because then I'd rat you out...if you'll pardon the expression."

"Huh," said Snaptrap, amused, "I'd be miffed if I wasn't so impressed. Wait! Then that means...you heard everything in here? Every little thing I said?"

Zippy shrugged. "Pretty much."

"If you knew about our brother than why didn't you say anything?" Pat asked.

"I didn't want to cause a commotion or draw attention to myself," Zippy said, "I wasn't invited either, you know. I thought Birdbrain would have a fit if he saw I stowed away on here."

"Um, before we continue," Matt interrupted, "I don't suppose you could try to cut through these ropes could you?"

"Oh, sure," Zippy obliged. She darted over to the rope strands between Matt and Snaptrap and inspected them closely. "They're kinda thick," she observed, "But I'll see what I can do."

"Please try," Pat pleaded, "At least try to loosen them up."

Zippy set to work pecking, biting, and tugging at the strands, while taking short intervals to rest. Matt, Pat, and Snaptrap stayed anxiously quiet, hoping with all their might that the tiny hummingbird could loosen the ropes and that no one would enter in at the moment. Finally, after what seemed likes ages, Matt began to move around, testing the bonds.

"I think that did it. If I could just get my arm out...yes!"

Pulling one arm out, Matt used his sharp claws to cut at the ropes while addressing Pat and Snaptrap. "See if you two can do likewise."

Pat and Snaptrap complied, trying to get one arm loose and eventually succeeding. All three set about to cutting through the ropes with their claws. They were soon out of their bonds and standing up, relieved to be able to move freely again.

"Ahhh, much better," Snaptrap sighed as he stretched. "So what do we do now? Ow! Ow! Hey! Ow!"

Pat grabbed Snaptrap by one of his ears and was yanking him towards the closet while being careful not to stumble in the dark room. She swung him around and against the closet door roughly, giving him a piercing stare.

"_You_ are going to stay out of our way until _we_ think of a way outta this!"

Though it was dark, Snaptrap could clearly make out his sister's furious expression. He could feel himself wilting under her glare. "But...but I can help," he said weakly.

"Yeah, right. How can_ you_ possibly help?" Pat laughed.

Snaptrap blinked as if deciding if he should tell, then he took a deep breath: "I know what made the yacht stall."

"What?!" Pat and Matt exclaimed. Snaptrap then explained about Birdbrain's Scrambler Device and how he had sneaked into the engine room and planted it on the engine.

Matt frowned and folded his arms. "Well, Verminious, that's another strike against you."

"I didn't mean for the whole boat to turn off!" Snaptrap argued, "Just the engine."

Zippy streaked over to him angrily. "_You_ stole the Scrambler Device?! How could you?! Birdbrain blamed me for that!"

Matt silence her with a wave of his hand. "You seem to know about this device, would removing it make the power turn back on?"

Zippy shook her head. "Not as long as it's still sending out scrambling waves, but all you have to do is turn it off. The power must've been set awfully high to make the whole yacht shut down."

Matt and Pat shot Snaptrap an icy glare. He shrugged sheepishly. "I guess I should've read more of the instructions."

Matt rubbed his forehead in deep thought then spoke. "Well, although that_ is_ what's keeping Rabies and Catastrophe from carrying out their plan, we won't be able to radio for help with the power off. I'm afraid we have no choice but to turn off that device."

"Right," Snaptrap agreed, "So where do we start?"

For an answer, Pat pulled Snaptrap away from the closet and opened the door. She shoved him inside almost making him fall. Snaptrap braced himself against the wall and looked at his brother and sister, who stared at him coldly.

"_You_ can start by staying in here and keeping quiet!" Pat hissed.

Matt pushed her aside and got right into Snaptrap's face, their black noses touching. He spoke darkly. "You are going to be locked in here until we say so. You've ruined my birthday, I'm not going to let you ruin our chances of escaping. Let me first warn you, pounding on the door will only bring the guards in. And one more thing, when...or _if_ we get out of this, don't think for one moment that you'll be able to walk away scott free from what you've done. As far as I'm concerned Pat and I have no little brother."

With the cold hearted statement ringing in Snaptrap's ears, Matt closed the closet door. A faint click sounded as he locked it. Snaptrap just stood staring at the door, unable to believe what just happened. Then the door opened again slightly as Matt's head poked in. Snaptrap's ears perked up hopefully, thinking that his siblings had changed their minds. Matt tossed Vincent, the skull, into Snaptrap's arms.

"Here," he said in a deadpan voice, "Your 'friend' can keep you company."

Snaptrap listened to the door shut and lock again. He glanced around the closet. If the room was dark, the closet was like a black hole. Snaptrap leaned against the wall and slunk all the way down until he was sitting on the floor. He never felt so alone and unwanted. He should have just gone straight home that morning. If Matt and Pat hated him before, they loathed him more than ever now. He had no doubt that they now really did wish he had never been born. He glanced at Vincent who was staring at him with his ever present grin.

"Always...smiling...," Snaptrap whispered sadly.

As he turned the skull over in his hands, something fell out of it and onto Snaptrap's lap. Curiously, he picked it up and examined it. His breath froze...it was a wrist communicator! Snaptrap then remembered that as he was packing his suitcase, he had tossed the device in along with his other stuff. While being shuffled around inside the suitcase, it must have ended up lodged inside Vincent. Snaptrap's heart began to beat in excitement. This was it! This was his ticket out of here! If the frequency was strong enough, he could call his DOOM buddies to come and sneak him out of the yacht and back to DOOM HQ. Snaptrap smiled.

At least it looked like _his_ luck was beginning to change.

* * *

**Ouch...poor Snaptrap. Just when he was getting along with his siblings...**

**Zippyyyyyy! Didn't expect her to show up didja?;D **

**Things aren't going well for our rat trio...especially between Snaptrap and his sibs. Will Matt and Pat ever be able forgive their little brother?**


	9. Chapter 9 - Dark Waters

**Colette Parfume and Vincent (c) Me**

**All other characters and TUFF Puppy (c) Butch Hartman**

* * *

Snaptrap leaned back against the closet wall, switching Vincent from one hand to the other. Despite being locked in the closet for some time, he was starting to feel a little bit better. After a few tries with the communicator, his call had actually made it through to DOOM HQ. Thankfully, it was Ollie who had answered the call(He was hoping it wouldn't be Larry). Snaptrap had explained to the British possum as best as he could what was happening. Unfortunately, he had no idea where the yacht was so he couldn't give the coordinates to his location (Not that he understood such things). Ollie said that locating Snaptrap would take some time, but they would work as fast as they could. Snaptrap sighed. Now all he had to do was figure out a way to be outside on deck and meet his henchmen when they showed up. And that wouldn't be easy. A sound nearby brought him out of his thoughts. He turned and noticed Zippy squeezing through underneath the closet door.

"Whew!" She wheezed, as she popped out, "I think I put on a few ounces."

Fluffing her feathers back in place, she zipped on over to Snaptrap and perched on his knee. She cocked her head quizzically.

"You seem pretty alright for what you just went through," she observed.

Snaptrap looked back and forth then brought his head closer to her. "That's cause I found a way outta here. I found this communicator inside Vincent and contacted my pals at DOOM. Once they figure out where the yacht's located, they'll be on their way."

Zippy stared at the device. "So that's why it felt crowded in there...wait!" Her eyes widened excitedly. "You mean, help's on on the way?! That's great! I'll tell Matt and Pat!"

Snaptrap grabbed Zippy, keeping her from flying off. "No way!" He exclaimed in a harsh whisper, "First of all, I'm not helping those snobs! They wanted me to stay outta the way, so that's exactly what I'm gonna do...all the way at DOOM HQ! You heard Matt! They no longer have a little brother, so _I_ no longer have an older brother or sister!"

Zippy stared at Snaptrap in surprise. "Isn't that a bit harsh?" She asked, "I mean, they _are_ your siblings..."

"Don't remind me!" Snaptrap snapped, "And no, it isn't harsh at all! All those two have ever done for me is make me feel like a big zero! I've had to suffer under their shadows My whole life! They hate me! And I hate them!"

"You don't mean that," Zippy said softly.

"Yes, I do," Snaptrap muttered. "Matt and Pat have never liked me."

"Aw, come on now," Zippy spoke encouragingly, "I'm sure there were _some_ times you guys got along."

Snaptrap leaned back against the wall. "Well...don't go telling it to anyone, but actually, there were, when we were little. We did have _some_ fun together. Yeah, we fought but...it wasn't as bad as it is now. We were pretty happy, but then..." Snaptrap paused. His eyes started to become clouded, as if he were remembering something sad and sober. Zippy looked at him with concern. Then with a sigh Snaptrap finally spoke. "I guess Matt was right, we got older, we changed."

He gently released Zippy and she sat down upon the floor. Unbeknownst to either of them, at that moment, Matt was walking by the closet and caught their conversation as Snaptrap spoke again.

"Matt and Pat, they seem to have more in common with each other than me. I guess that's why they get along with each other so well. But me, I'm not like them. I'm not classy or sophisticated, I talk with a lisp, and my voice sounds like I've got a bad case of laryngitis. I've tried to get along with them, but it never works out. In fact, today when I was visiting Matt at his house, I even suggested maybe we hang out at the boardwalk, but he said no. He just wanted to be alone. Yeah, he lied, but I'm sure even if he wasn't having this party he would've refused, both him and Pat. They like to hang with each other but never with me. I embarrass them. To them I'm just the stupid tag along little brother that gets in the way of the big kids. They always have each other's backs...but no one ever has mine."

Matt breathed in sharply at Snaptrap's words. He didn't think Snaptrap was actually serious about hanging out earlier. He just assumed his little brother was just joking around like always. Then that meant... that really _was_ disappointment he had seen in Snaptrap's eyes earlier. Matt was taken aback. Snaptrap had actually wanted to spend time with him and Pat? Usually he acted like he didn't care. He stared in silence at the closet door. Or _did _he care but tried to hide it? Snaptrap had sounded so hopeless the way he spoke about how he and Pat treated him. Like this was just a sad fate in his life that he had to accept. A fate that would never change...because he was sure that his siblings' feelings towards him would never change. Matt felt a strange twinge in his stomach. A twinge that made him feel rather...guilty. He turned and beckoned Pat to come over. As she came over, Matt motioned for her to be quiet and to place her ear against the closet door. Both continued to listen as Snaptrap and Zippy conversed.

The little hummingbird looked at Snaptrap sympathetically. "I think I kinda know how you feel. I feel a little left out whenever Birdbrain hangs with you and the Chameleon. I guess he's afraid I'll embarrass him or something. I do hang out with his other henchmen sometimes: Owl, Bat, Duck, and Ewe, but then...well they sometimes forget I'm there cause I'm so small." Zippy sighed. "It's tough being my size sometimes."

Snaptrap stared at the tiny hummingbird, feeling sorry for her. "That's too bad," he said, "You seem nice. Sickenly optomistic at times, but nice."

"Thanks," Zippy replied with a small smile. "Does Birdbrain ever talk about me when he's with you and the Chameleon?" She asked.

"Yyyeeeeah, kind of," Snaptrap said, a bit hesitant, "Mostly that you're an annoying chatterbox and are...sickenly optomistic."

Zippy rolled her eyes. "Yep, that sounds like Birdbrain. He's told me the same about you guys. How're you're both ignorant buffoons who need a social life and..."

"Okay, I get it," Snaptrap cut in. Zippy shrugged sheepishly then gave her wings a little flap before speaking again.

"You know, Snaptrap, I know you and your siblings aren't exactly on good terms. And maybe you have grown apart during the years but...maybe it's not too late for you guys to try to get along. You know, get to know each other again. I heard you talking to yourself in this room and it sounded like you were really happy to be spending time with your siblings."

"Well, yeah," Snaptrap admitted, "That's cause as Victor Von Marzipan, they weren't acting like they were better than me. I was equal to them. I didn't have to worry so much about looking than if I were just Snaptrap. They saw me as interesting, as a real great guy. As Victor, I wasn't labeled as a loser. After all these years, I finally made myself something in their eyes that I've never been...a winner." He fiddled with the skull a bit. "They...they liked being with me. I know it's cause I was Victor, but still, knowing that they wanted me around...it made me feel good...it made me feel good about myself."

Zippy flew over to Snaptrap and perched on his shoulder. "I bet deep down you guys don't really hate each other like you claim you do."

Snaptrap slinked down and scoffed. "Yeah right. You heard them, they hate me more than ever now. I bet they're wishing right now that Victor von Marzipan was real. I've tried you know. I've tried to get on their good side but it's no use. They don't want anything to do with me. We're past the whole bonding thing, Zip. It broke a long time ago and it's too late to do anything about it."

"It's never too late to mend a broken bond," Zippy replied softly. "Who knows? Maybe there's a chance it was never really broken in the first place."

Snaptrap folded his arms. "Yes it was," he muttered, resolutely, "It was broken in a million pieces. You can't fix a mess like that...ever. And even if you could I..." He then sighed sadly. "I'm not even sure I'd want it fixed."

Matt and Pat gave each other a glance. They never heard their brother sound so...morbid. Did he really feel that way? Matt looked back at the closet door hesitantly, then at its knob. After thinking for a few moments, he unlocked it. Gently turning the doorknob, Matt started to open the door.

"Verminious..."

Matt and Pat jumped as the door to their room burst open and a group of guards carrying flashlights came in. They stopped as they saw both siblings untied and up and about.

"What the...how'd you guys get free?!" One of them exclaimed, obviously not pleased.

Instantly, the guards rushed at the two rats and pulled them from the closet door. Inside the closet, Snaptrap and Zippy had heard the commotion. Thinking fast, Snaptrap grabbed Zippy and shoved her and the communicator way back into the closet, hiding them behind the clothes.

"What are you doing?" Zippy asked, frightened.

"Shh! No one but me and my siblings knows you're here!" Snaptrap explained quickly, "Maybe you can help us outta this! Just listen to the communicator, in case my DOOM buddies call back!"

"But what'll you do?" Zippy asked urgently.

"I have no idea..." Snaptrap confessed as the closet door burst opened. A humongous guard grabbed him by the shoulders and roughly yanked him out.

"Come on you!" The guard spat, "Dr. Rabies and Madame Catastrophe have something special in store for you!"

Zippy shrank back in fear as she watched Snaptrap and his siblings being cruelly shoved out the room. She winced as the door shut with a slam leaving the room empty and quiet. Zippy glanced about, the only sound in the dark closet being the pounding of her small heart.

Now what should she do?

* * *

Matt, Pat, and Snaptrap were brought out to the main deck where strangely it seemed a bit brighter. Dr. Rabies had found a small battery operated generator in the yacht storage and was using it to power some lights. They all shone on a small wooden table with a chair. Snaptrap looked up at the sky. A full moon was casting its glow upon the calm sea. The night was cold and clear as thousands of stars twinkled in the sky. Were it not for the urgency of their situation, he would've actually enjoyed the beautiful scenery. He scanned the deck. All the guests had been brought out and were standing at the edges of the different decks. Judging by their expressions, they were still suffering from the effects of the poison. He drew back at the sight in front of him. It was Colette, held by two guards. She had her hands bound behind her back and her legs tied. Attached to her with a long rope was a great metal weight.

"Matthew!" She called out in a frightened voice.

The look on Matt's face when he saw her was almost heartbreaking. Dr. Rabies smiled smugly at him, while strutting around like a vain peacock. "As you can see Matt, it would be foolish to try anything daring at the moment. Your girlfriend is sure to make quite a splash if you do."

Matt gritted his teeth at the dog. "You've got your yacht, what more do you want?"

Rabies stared Matt in the eye." What I want is to see you and your siblings humiliated," he answered with a smirk. "As long as my men are trying to fix the engine, Madame Catastrophe and I thought it only polite to keep the guests entertained."

Matt clenched his fists in frustration, but he knew the Doctor had him at his mercy. Dr. Rabies looked Matt up and down. "Hmmm," he contemplated, "We can start by having you give me your hat and coat. I think it'd be much more suited to one with more class."

Matt frowned, but if he didn't want Colette nor his siblings harmed he knew he had no choice. He removed his coat and hat and handed them to Dr. Rabies. Matt started to shiver a bit. With only his white turtleneck and pants on, he could feel the chill of the night sea air cutting through his fur. Dr. Rabies snapped his fingers authoritatively.

"And the monocle," he ordered.

Matt grumbled as he removed his monocle from his eye and handed it over. Dr Rabies wiped it on his sleeve and fitted it over his eye. After he put the rest of the outfit on, he presented himself to Madame Catastrophe.

"How do I look?" He asked.

"Like a million bucks, Darling," Catastrophe purred, "Far better than a rat could ever look."

Dr. Rabies turned back to Matt and pointed to the rat's shoes. "You might as well give me your shoes while your at it," he said indifferently.

Matt narrowed his eyes as he removed both shoes and handed them over. Rabies inspected them, then flung them over the railing. He grinned cruelly at Matt. "They weren't my size," he sneered.

This caused great laughter amongst his men. Dr. Rabies paced around Matt mocking him. "Not so high and mighty now are you, Matt? In that turtleneck and pants you look more like a pauper than anything. Look at you. You are skinny and weak. I could break you over my knee like a twig." He jerked his head towards Colette. "Franky, I don't know what Colette sees in you. Why would a beautiful creature like her ever want to be with a sewer rat? You're just a poor pathetic wannabe that uses his money to impress others. Look around you. Do you honestly think that these guests came because they like you? They only came because of what your money has to offer! Now you have nothing!"

Dr. Rabies and Madame Catastrophe laughed cruelly while Matt just stared at the ground. Colette watched the mockery looking sad and somewhat guilty. Snaptrap watched his brother. Although Matt wasn't reacting to their insulting remarks it was clear that they were having an affect on him.

Catastrophe stared down her nose at Pat. "Give me that pearl necklace!" She ordered. Pat touched the necklace she wore around her neck, giving Madame C a dirty look. Catastrophe growled and pointed a blaster straight at Matt and Snaptrap. "I said give them to me!" She hissed, "Or do you want your brothers to go for a swim?!That water is below freezing right now!"

Pat removed her necklace and handed it over to the demented cat. Madame Catastrophe smiled as she clipped the necklace around her own neck. "Not bad," she said, "At least you have good taste in jewelry Pat." She glanced down at Pat's waist. "And food by the looks of it," she added cruelly. " I suppose eating is the only thing you excel at. I'm afraid you can't hide your girth behind your wealth, my dear. No wonder you don't have a boyfriend yet. "

Dr. Rabies and the guards laughed. Even some of the guests, ill as they were, chuckled. Snaptrap couldn't believe it. Did Matt and Pat really consider these people their friends? He looked at Matt who just stood there dully. Without his captain's outfit, he no longer looked like the suave, confident classy rat he had been earlier. Poor Matt, being humiliated in front of everyone and the woman he cared about.

Then he turned to Pat who was still suffering the stings about her weight from Madame Catastrophe. She tried to put on a brave front, but he could see her eyes look a bit moist. She looked so helpless and vulnerable. Suddenly all the hurt Snaptrap had felt towards his siblings seemed to melt away. Now he was just angry. Angry at Rabies and Catastrophe. Angry at all the hurt and humiliation they had put him and his siblings through. He straightened up and before he could think, he was shouting right at the two villains.

"LEAVE 'EM ALONE YOU COWARDLY JERKS!"

Everyone on the yacht became deadly silent. Matt and Pat stared in surprise at their little brother while Rabies and Catastrophe both looked slack jawed. Catastrophe slowly bared her sharp fangs.

"What...was...that?!" She hissed.

Snaptrap could feel his sudden bravado start to wane a bit. "I-I said leave 'em alone...um, please?"

Dr. Rabies laughed. "Please?! Oh you really are pathetic, Snaptrap. The absolute worst villain to ever set foot in Petropolis! I knew that fact the day you invited us to your stupid Doomies awards. Which, may I point out, you yourself have never even won! You are hopeless! You and your siblings and your whole stupid family!"

Snaptrap heard some more snickers from the guests. The insult towards his family seemed to ignite something inside him. Growling, he shot back at the two criminals and let them have it.

"You talk big, Rabies, but you know what?! You're no big dog on campus either! You make fun of my family all the time but how come you never say it to their faces?! It's only me or Matt and Pat you always seem to pick on! Why not try that stuff on my cousins? You know those three mobster rats that have sent many dogs bigger than you running with their tails between their legs?Our family reunion was not too long ago, why didn't you cause trouble for us then? I'll tell you why! Cause you know that together we'd kick your sorry butts! I've heard my cousins say they've seen you try to avoid them...that's cause you and Miss Fraidy Cat here know they'd wipe the floor with both of you! And if you're both so tough, why do you have to have all these body guards around you right now, huh? Answer me that, Losers! You wouldn't be so tough if it were just you guys and my brother and sister! Matt's smarter than you two bozos put together! And Pat could knock the livin' daylights out of ya! The Snaptraps have more guts in one family member than you or your stupid guards put together! So there!"

Snaptrap folded his arms triumphantly while smirking at Madame Catastrophe, "And one more thing...at least my sister is clean shaven!"

Madame Catastrophe's eyes glazed over with pure hatred. With a screeching hiss she lashed out at him with her sharp claws. Snaptrap cried out in pain as her sharp claws raked through his snout. He clasped his hand to his snout as Madame Catastrophe glared at him, breathing heavily with fury.

"Laugh that off, Rat!"

Matt and Pat both rushed over to their brother who still had his hands covering his snout. "Verm?" Pat whispered with concern. She removed his hands from his snout and gasped. Three long crimson red lines ran down diagonally across Snaptrap's snout. The poor rat looked at his siblings, obviously in pain. Pat looked up at Madame Catastrophe, her eyes filled with rage. She started as if to attack the wicked cat.

"You-"

"Silence!" Madame C screeched, stopping her. She pointed at Snaptrap. "Think you're so smart, Rat?! I've got something that will wipe that smirk off your face!"

She beckoned to some guards nearby. "Take him to the table and sit him down!" She commanded. In an instant, Snaptrap found himself wrenched from his siblings and dragged all the way to the table where he was pushed down onto the chair. He blinked in confusion as the lights shone all around him. What were they going to do?

Madame Catastrophe appeared in front of him, with a wicked smirk. "So, Snaptrap, I'm sure you enjoyed my humiliation at the hands of your Von Marzipan identity. Well, now it is my turn. Now you will suffer in front of everyone just as I did! Bring in the plate!"

Snaptrap watched as a guard came over and placed a large covered plate on the table. At Madame C's command, the lid was removed revealing...a giant round cake of cheddar cheese. Snaptrap's eyes widened in horror as he realized what was about to happen. Catastrophe nodded towards the chunk of cheese.

"Eat it!" She ordered. "All of it!"

Snaptrap gulped. "But-But I'm allergic to cheese. It makes me swell up like a bloated tick."

Madame C gave the most evil grin Snaptrap had ever seen on a creature. "I know," she hissed gleefully.

Snaptrap stared at the yellow round cake of cheese. Though it smelled delicious, he knew what would happen if he tasted even one crumb of it. The evil cat was losing her patience. She grabbed Snaptrap by his collar and pulled him towards her, baring her sharp teeth at him. "Do as I say! Or I'll have my guards use you and your siblings as target practice!" She pointed to Colette. "Do you want to be responsible for her harm?! I don't think your brother will ever forgive you if you choose so!"

Snaptrap looked at Colette, who seemed worried and confused. Then he looked over to his siblings, who were watching with fearful anxiety. He surveyed the guards that had their blasters aimed at him. Finally, he stared at the cheese in front of him. He had no choice. Taking a deep breath, he tore off a large chunk and stuffed it into his mouth. His jaws worked laboriously, slowly chewing the big piece into smaller pieces. He swallowed with a shaky gulp. In an instant, Snaptrap's entire body began to bloat, making him look like some sort of grotesque balloon. Everyone gasped at the sight of the grey rat growing larger and fatter.

Madame Catastrophe began to cackle with evil glee. "Keep at it! I don't want to see a single crumb left on that plate! Do it or you and your siblings will suffer!"

Snaptrap complied, wearily tearing off more chunks and stuffing them into his mouth. Each piece he shoved in made him want to gag, but he knew stopping would be fatal. His jaws worked tiresomely at chewing the large cheese chunks, with each swallow causing him to bloat more and more. Soon his whole face was nearly unrecognizable, as it nearly sank into his now puffy flesh. Dr. Rabies and Madame Catastrophe laughed wickedly as did all the guards. Matt and Pat looked on in horror, unable to believe that the huge blob in front of them was their little brother. Snaptrap looked so miserable, that neither of them could stand it.

"Dr. Rabies!" Matt pleaded, "My brother's learned his lesson! Stop this cruelty at once!"

"We'll keep him quiet, just leave him alone!" Pat begged.

"Shut up, Fools!" Dr. Rabies shouted. He then turned towards the crowd and spoke in a mocking tone: "Ladies and gentleman, a rat that's allergic to cheese!"

Matt growled hopelessly as Rabies, Catastrophe, and the guards laughed at the ironic statement. Then he heard something else that caught his ear. He turned to the guests and couldn't believe what he was seeing. Some of them were laughing! Despite them being sick and the direness of their situation, some of the guests were actually laughing at Snaptrap's plight. Matt nudged Pat and nodded towards the guests. She too couldn't believe it. The mocking laughter filled their ears, filling them both with disgust. They looked to their poor brother who was as shamefaced and humiliated as one could get. Despite how bloated he was, he continued to stuff the cheese into his mouth. Some of it had caked onto his face and around his mouth. He looked as if he was going to throw up. Suddenly, the chair he was on broke from the great weight, causing him to fall on the floor. This caused an even greater uproar. Snaptrap looked up at everyone, humiliation and embarrassment stamped upon his face. He looked at Madame Catastrophe who was recording the whole thing on her cell phone.

"I can not wait to post this," she purred, "I'm sure to get a million hits!"

Snaptrap turned towards his siblings. His eyes looked slightly moist and his expression was like that of a wounded creature that had just been through a severe beating. Matt and Pat could only stare back pityingly. The sight of their little brother enduring this cruel humiliation caused a change inside of them. All the anger and hostility they had felt towards Snaptrap vanished completely. All that was left was sadness, pity,...

And guilt.

* * *

**Poor, poor, poor Snaptrap.:( Not even he deserved that. But, wow, what a ****heroic moment he had there, if even for a moment.**

**Looks like Matt and Pat are getting their share of the guilt now. Maybe these guys can finally put all what's happened behind them.**

**Keep reading, there's more. Much more.**


	10. Chapter 10 - Memories

**I only own Colette and Vincent.**

**All other characters and TUFF Puppy (c) Butch Hartman**

* * *

Zippy had been cowering in the corner of the closet the whole time. She was too afraid to go out and see what was happening for fear of being caught. She could only hope that Snaptrap and his siblings would be brought back to the room safely and that Snaptrap's henchman would arrive soon. It was times like this that she hated being so small. She felt useless.

A noise from outside made her become instantly alert. She cocked her head towards the closet door, trying to make out what was being said:

"Alright, back inside you three!"

"Ugh, could one of you help me shove lardo back in here?!"

"Alright, alright, hold on. Okay...ready, set, push! There!"

"Ha! He looks like one of those Thanksgiving Parade balloons!"

"Yeah! A rat that's allergic to cheese! How pathetic is that?!"

"Lucky for you guys, the boss isn't gonna have you tied up this time! But don't be gettin' any ideas! So sit down and shut your traps!"

Zippy heard a door slam followed by silence. She ventured on over to the closet door and peeked out from underneath. Her eyes had adjusted to the dark and she could tell that Matt and Pat were back. Squeezing out from under the door, she zipped into the air and darted over to the two rats.

"Matt! Pat! What hap- Eeeeek!"

Zippy jerked back at the sight before her. A humongous form, like a big blob was sitting in the middle of the room. Upon closer inspection, Zippy realized what it was.

"Snaptrap? Oh my gosh, what happened to you?!"

"Cheese, was what happened," Pat explained. "Those two jerks made him eat a whole round slab of it to get back at him for beating them at pool. And right in front of everyone on the whole yacht."

Zippy stared pityingly at the bloated rat. "Poor guy. What an awful thing to do. He looks terrible."

Snaptrap said nothing, not even looking at anyone. Then the door opened and a guard tossed something onto the bed.

"Here," he said gruffly, "We were told to give you guys this. They said it's for your brother." The guard glanced at Snaptrap and scoffed. "Heh, if you asked me, the loser deserved this."

Before Matt could make a retort, the door slammed shut. He walked over to the bed and inspected the item. "It's Verminious' allergy medication," he spoke in surprise, "Odd, I wouldn't have expected them to give this to us. I wonder what made them do it?"

"Who cares?" Pat answered. "Just give Verm the medicine."

Matt went over to Snaptrap and applied the allergy medicine. He stood back as they all waited for the medication to take affect. It took awhile, but the swelling began to go down little by little. Snaptrap was soon back to his normal size though he hadn't spoken a word during that whole time. In fact, Snaptrap hadn't said anything since the cheese incident. Though he was now back to normal, his expression was still the same: hurt, humiliated, and broken. He just stood there in the middle of the room, his head hanging down.

Matt walked over to him. "Verminious?" He spoke in concern.

Snaptrap slowly looked up at his brother. Matt winced at his pitiful expression. Snaptrap's yellow eyes seemed dull and clouded and a bit bloodshot, like he was holding back tears. Their spark of life seemed to be gone. Suddenly, Snaptrap made a gagging noise and clasped a hand to his mouth. He turned around and ran straight for the cabin room's bathroom. Matt, Pat, and Zippy grimaced as they heard loud retching noises emanate from it. Eating the huge slab of cheese had proved to be too much for the poor rat.

Zippy perched on one of the beds and looked at Matt and Pat. "It was bad wasn't it?" She asked.

Matt walked over to a chair and sat down. "They wouldn't let him stop until he had eaten the entire thing. They even recorded it and posted it online, the wretches. All that time they laughed and mocked him." He stared straight ahead. "Even some of the guests themselves laughed," he said in soft disbelief. Matt stayed quiet for a moment then shook his head somberly , "Verminious...he didn't deserve that. He may have caused all that trouble earlier but...even _he_ didn't deserve that."

Pat and Zippy stayed silent, as they listened to Snaptrap still vomiting up all the cheese. Zippy then noticed something different about Matt. "What happened to your clothes?" She asked.

Matt looked himself over and sighed. "Dr. Rabies took them...and my monocle. My shoes he threw into the sea. He had Colette tied to a weight and threatened to throw her overboard if I didn't comply. I had no choice."

"That stupid Catastrophe took my pearl necklace," Pat complained, feeling her now bare neck.

"What happened to Snaptrap's snout?" Zippy asked.

Pat looked towards the bathroom. The vomiting had stopped. "Madame Catastrophe scratched him after he told her and Dr. Rabies off," she explained, "He told them to leave me and Matt alone and called them cowards, and some other daring stuff. Then he made a remark about Catastrophe's goatee. That's what pushed her over the edge."

Pat sighed. "He got hurt defending us."

Zippy looked towards the bathroom pityingly. "That was a brave thing to do," she said soberly.

"It was," Matt agreed.

Zippy darted up and zipped towards the restroom. "I'm gonna make sure he's alright," she said.

As the two siblings watched her go, Pat spoke."You think Verm'll be okay, Matt?"

Matt sighed as he leaned back against the chair. "I'm-I'm sure he will. Thank goodness his allergy isn't lethal. His stomach just couldn't take all that cheese. That was a great amount for any rat to consume."

Pat folded her arms and leaned against the wall. "He looked pretty bad didn't he Matt? He looked so...broken."

Matt reached up absentmindedly to inspect his monocle, but then remembered he no longer had it. "Oh, I-I'm sure he'll be fine. You know Verminious, he always seems to bounce right back from these things."

The tone of Matt's voice indicated that he really was not sure, but Pat didn't argue. "Verm was really somethin' out there wasn't he?" She asked. "Telling those two off like that. I gotta admit...he was pretty amazing."

Matt said nothing but just stared down at his folded hands.

"He stood up for us Matt," Pat pointed out.

"I know," Matt finally answered, "I know."

Both siblings were lost in their own thoughts until Snaptrap finally exited the restroom with Zippy fluttering behind. He didn't speak to either Matt or Pat nor did he look at them. He went straight over to one of the beds and flopped down on top of it. He curled up tightly into himself, as if trying disappear from the world. Zippy landed on the nightstand next to the bed staring at him in concern then back at Matt and Pat. Matt got up from the chair and walked over to his brother. He bent down, making eye contact so that Snaptrap could see him in the dark room.

"Verminious?" He asked, "Are you alright?"

Snaptrap said nothing, he just continued to stare ahead, as if he were looking right through Matt. His eyes looked blank, no longer full of the mischievous life that was always in them. The cheese incident seemed to have broken what little spirit Snaptrap had left in him. He gave a small sigh and curled up even tighter. Matt's ears drooped with worry then perked up as he remembered something. He quickly headed over to the closet and disappeared inside. Pat and Zippy watched curiously as they heard Matt rummaging through the closet. In a moment, he came back out, carrying Vincent the skull in his hands. He went over to Snaptrap and held the skull out to him.

"Look, it's Vincent," he said somewhat hopefully, "Your um, little skull friend. Remember him?"

Snaptrap's eyes looked up at the little skull which grinned blankly at him. He slowly started to reach out to it, but then drew his hand back and shut his eyes tightly. Matt glanced at Pat, both looking even more worried. Placing Vincent on the nightstand, Matt reached out and gently touched Snaptrap's shoulder.

"Verminious, it's alri-"

"Don't touch me!" Snaptrap suddenly hissed, slapping Matt's hand away. "You won alright?! You and Pat won! You're the better rats!"

Matt drew back in shock at the unexpected outburst. "We won?" He replied, rubbing his hand in confusion, "What on earth are you talking about?"

Snaptrap raised his head angrily from the pillow. "You were right okay? I'm a loser! I'm a big fat stupid-headed loser! I can't do anything right, I messed up everything and I got what I deserved!"

His head flopped back down as he gave a huff of frustration. Glancing out at the nightstand, he reached out and clutched Vincent tightly to him, like a small child cradling a teddy bear.

"You just want me to talk to Vincent so you could laugh at me," he whimpered hoarsely, "Just like everyone did on deck. They all laughed at me. I try my best, but in the end, everyone always laughs."

Matt and Pat watched Snaptrap shut his eyes even tighter as if trying to block out the hurtful memory. They just stood awkwardly, not sure how to respond. Offering comfort to their little brother was sadly something they rarely, if ever did.

"Verminious," Matt finally spoke, "We...Pat and I, we didn't laugh."

"Inside you were," Snaptrap replied scathingly, "I know you were. Admit it! You enjoyed it! You enjoyed seeing me humiliated, just like you always have. I bet it felt good, didn't it? You finally got back at me for what I did today. Your stupid little brother, getting his just desserts. That's what you wanted isn't it?!"

"Wha?...No!...No we...I..." Matt stuttered, trying to think of what to say. "Verminious, Pat and I took no pleasure in that. We begged them to stop but..."

"DON'T PRETEND THAT YOU CARE!" Snaptrap shouted, sitting up suddenly. Matt and Pat drew back in fear as their little brother ranted on them accusingly.

"Don't act like you feel sorry for me! I know the truth! You were glad to see them do that to me! You enjoyed seeing me treated like crud! That's all you've two ever treated me like! Always laughing at me! Always putting me down! No matter what I do, no matter how hard I try, it's never good enough! Nothing I do ever impresses you or our dumb family! I'm just a laughingstock for you to make fun of and to make you all look better! You two, always rubbing your yachts, and fancy homes, and wealth in my face! Always leaving me out of stuff! Calling me a loser and a failure! I hate you! I hate everyone!"

Matt began to step forward. "Verminious...brother..."

"Don't call me that!" Snaptrap spat viciously. "I'm not your brother. You _have_ no little brother, remember?"

Matt just blinked, looking rather shamefaced. Snaptrap sneered. "Exactly! I don't exist! That's pretty much how everyone treats me! You guys! Mom! The whole family! All of stinkin' Petropolis! No one's ever had a good thing to say about me or to me! Ever since I was pup, you guys hated my guts! What do you want from me?! To apologize for being born?! Well, alright! I'm sorry, okay?! I'm sorry I had the nerve to be born into this family! There, happy now?!"

"It-It's not like that, Verm," Pat stated. Snaptrap gave a humorless laugh. "It's not?! Oh come on, Pat! Remember what you said at the reunion? 'Everyone, a toast to my little brother, the worst villain and dresser in Petropolis!' Remember that, Pat? Oh and don't forget how you mentioned how I've been a loser all these years!' Any of that ring a bell, Pat? Well, gee, I'm so sorry, dear sister! I completely forgot that all that was code for: 'I love ya' little bro!"

Pat kept silent in reply. Snaptrap narrowed his eyes. "Yeah, that's what I thought," he said bitterly. He turned to Matt. "And you, you boat lovin' snob! Always looking down your nose at me! The only reason I came over today was because I had to deliver those stupid cookies mom made for you! Her best batch of cookies for her 'dear little Matti'! She never makes _me_ cookies of her own will, Matt! Not even on my birthday! She's never even made me a cake! I have to twist her arm to get her to do something like that! But oh, she'll do anything for her precious Matthew and Patricia! She's always bragging about you idiots to her friends! Always saying how proud she is of you! But not me! No, I'm just the stupid boy! The reject! The one no one ever wants around!"

He stared at the skull in his hands. "Just like you didn't want Vincent," he said dejectedly. Matt and Pat watched as Snaptrap fiddled around with the skull in his hands. Matt slowly walked up to his brother.

"Verminious, come on now, all that's not entirely true," he spoke encouragingly.

Snaptrap stared up at him like he was insane. "Don't lie to me," he growled, "You can give your false sympathies to someone who cares." He stared at Vincent, biting his lip angrily.

Matt tried again. "Verminious, please," he said quietly, "Let's just sit down and try to talk about this..."

Snaptrap got up from the bed and began to back away towards the desk, with an almost sob like laugh.. "You wanna talk to me? After all these years, _now_ you wanna chat with your little brother? It's too late for that, Matt! I don't wanna talk to either of you! Ever!"

"Come on, Verm..." Pat began to plead.

"Shut up!" Snaptrap snapped venomously. "Both of you just shut up and leave me alone!"

As he came up right next to the desk, Snaptrap grabbed the picture that Matt had placed on it earlier and hurled it with all his might at his siblings. Matt and Pat both ducked as the picture flew over them and crashed against the wall. A shattering of glass was heard as it fell to the floor. The three siblings and Zippy stared in shock at what just happened. Matt, Pat, and Snaptrap stood stone still as if rooted to the floor, staring at the mess. Zippy flew down to the mess and hovered just above it.

"I'm afraid the whole frame is broken," she announced with regret, "but the picture looks alright."

Snaptrap slowly began to walk over to where Zippy was, almost as if in a trance. As he did, he took something out from his pocket. Turning it on, it was revealed to be a flashlight.

"Where did you get that?" Matt asked, finding his voice.

Snaptrap gently picked up the photo, being careful not to cut himself on the glass. "I stole it from one of those guards when they weren't looking," he half mumbled. "If there's one thing I'm good at, it's pick pocketing." Snaptrap stared at the picture intently. As he did, a change seemed to come over his face. Matt and Pat watched their little brother warily, confused by his expression. He slowly walked over to the bed in silence and sat down, never once taking his eyes of the photo. Zippy flew over to Snaptrap and perched on his shoulder. She stared quizzically at the picture.

"Who're those kids in there?" She asked.

Snaptrap stared at it for what seemed like a long time before replying:

"It's us."

Zippy's eyes widened as she turned back to the picture. In the background was a clear blue sky with the ocean underneath, it's waves crashing down onto shore. In the foreground, were none other than Matt, Pat, and Snaptrap: just mere little rat pups at the time. Matt and Pat were happily burying their little brother in the sand, while Snaptrap, his head and feet sticking out of the mound, watched them with great amusement. All three were obviously enjoying themselves and having a good time.

Matt came over and sat down next to Snaptrap. He looked at the picture in a moment of silence before speaking.

"How did you get this?" He asked. He didn't sound upset, but rather curious. Snaptrap kept his eyes on the photograph as he explained.

"I was looking at it when you discovered me in your room this morning. I got scared and hid it in my coat without thinking. I didn't mean to steal it. Besides, I have the same picture at home."

Matt looked at him in surprise. "You do? I've never seen it."

"I keep it in my room," Snaptrap replied, "And well, you guys never go into my room."

Pat came on over and sat on the other side of Snaptrap. She too looked at the picture.

"I have this photo also," she said quietly.

The three siblings and Zippy continued to stare at the figures in the photograph.

"You looked like you had a lot of fun," Zippy spoke.

A wistful smile hovered on Matt's features. "We did. It was a beautiful day, so our parents decided to take us to the beach. We ate lunch then splashed around in the water for a bit." He gave a small chuckle. "Heh, I remember Verminious kept searching around for a shark."

"I swore I saw one," Snaptrap insisted.

Pat gave a small amused smile. "Yeah, and you freaked me outwhen you said you spotted one," she said.

Snaptrap gave a little laugh as he kept his eyes on the picture. He too started to smile a bit as the memory of that day became more clear to him. "Yeah, I remember. When went back to the shore you wanted us to help you find some sea shells. That's when we found that hermit crab. Well, actually, Matt was the one that found it."

Matt's ear twitched in annoyance. "Blasted thing pinched my foot," he muttered. Snaptrap continued.

"Then I started fooling around in the sand and tried making a sand castle. Then you guys pitched in to help. That's when you and Matt suggested that you bury me."

"And you totally went for it," Pat said with a smile.

"Yeah," Snaptrap said. "It sounded like a lot of fun. I liked how cool the sand felt."

Matt's smile grew a bit more as he recalled it all. "It was fun, I must admit. Soon the only thing that was sticking out were your head and feet. That's when mother took that picture."

"Heh, yeah," Snaptrap said. "Later on, we went to the boardwalk. Well, actually, it wasn't the boardwalk yet. It was just some gift shops and food carts and a merry go round. we all got ice cream cones and ate them while we watched the boats go by." He turned to Matt. "You really liked watching those boats," he stated.

The slender rat nodded. "I think that's when I first developed an interest in boats and sailing."

"Yeah," said Snaptrap, "You said when you got older, you were gonna buy a boat and sail around the world and find treasure."

Matt's ears perked up in surprise. "You...you remember that?" He asked.

Snaptrap nodded. "Yeah. And Pat said she wanted to be a singer someday," he said reflectively. He then turned to Pat. "You said you were gonna be famous and sing for people all over the world."

Both Matt and Pat stared in surprise at their brother. "I can't believe you actually remember that after all these years," Pat said, shaking her head in amazement.

"Or that you remember that whole day so well," Matt added.

Snaptrap looked at the picture. His expression became somewhat wistful. "It was when you guys actually wanted me around," he said quietly.

Matt and Pat exchanged silent glances as Snaptrap continued. "It's all so clear in my mind now. I dunno why it's stuck with me all these years. I guess cause we were all so happy that day: the three of us with mom and da-" Snaptrap shut his mouth immediately, as if afraid to say any more. He rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly and kept his eyes on the picture While Matt and Pat stared off in different directions, all three looking a bit sad. The rat siblings stayed quiet for a while, each lost in their own thoughts.

Matt broke the silence, clearing his throat before he spoke. "Er, Verminious, what you did out there earlier...you know, standing up for me and Pat...I um...well, thank you...for doing that."

Snaptrap gave a surprised glance at his brother. It was a long time since Matt thanked him for anything. "Uh, yeah, you're welcome," he said somewhat awkwardly.

"You really told those two off," Pat said, "I've never seen you act like that."

Snaptrap shrugged. "They were being jerks," he replied.

"It wasn't just us though," Matt pointed out, "You stood up for our whole family. It was very impressive."

Snaptrap's ears perked up a bit. "It was?" He asked, sounding delighted.

Matt nodded. "Truly amazing. I'm just sorry that...you had to go through...you know, the cheese and everything."

Snaptrap's ears drooped a bit as he remembered the whole cheese incident. He tried to shake it off like it was nothing. "It's not the first time my cheese allergy has acted up," he mumbled.

Matt reached out and placed his hand on his brother's shoulder. Snaptrap looked up and saw his brother smiling at him approvingly.

"You did good, Verminious," Matt said, with a hint of pride in his voice. "Well done."

Snaptrap stared at the hand on his shoulder then back at his brother, completely speechless. He realized Matt wasn't joking or being sarcastic. That smile was genuine. He was completely sincere.

_Well done. _

The words seemed to echo in Snaptrap's ears. He quickly turned away from his brother, wondering why his vision was getting blurry. "Stupid darkness," he muttered, rubbing his eyes, "It's putting a strain on my eyes."

Matt smiled. "Well, once we figure out a way to get to that Scrambler Device and get it off the engine, the lights will turn back on."

"Oh yeah," Pat muttered, "Piece of cake."

"Maybe I could sneak out and get it off," Zippy suggested. "Snaptrap can tell me where on the engine he placed it."

Snaptrap rubbed his arm sheepishly. "Uh, I don't think I really could. I can't really explain where it is. I'd have to show you myself."

Matt sighed. "We'll think of some way of escape. The answer is right in front of us, I just know it." He stood up from the bed and began to pace back and forth. Pat and Snaptrap also stood up. As they did, Pat turned to Snaptrap.

"You were pretty great out there, Verm," she said sincerely, "Thanks again." Snaptrap smiled in reply.

Pat then gave him a small playful punch in the shoulder. "Sorry about locking ya in the closet," she apologized.

"That's okay," Snaptrap said, "It wasn't so bad. It was kinda relaxing actually. Just like the museum air vents."

Pat raised an eyebrow. "Air vents?" She repeated, quizzically.

"Yeah," Snaptrap replied, "I like to sit in the air vents in the Petropolis Museum sometimes. It's very relaxing. You guys should try it."

Matt stopped his pacing and stared in disbelief at his little brother. "You sit in museum air vents?"

"Sure," Snaptrap said in a matter of fact way, "And not just museum ones. I like all kinds of air vents. Libraries, supermarkets..." He started to wave the flashlight around as he continued: "Community centers, factories, the White House, or even ones like this vent here." Snaptrap shone his flashlight up towards the ceiling, near the closet. Matt and Pat looked up to see a large air vent, that was used to cool down or heat up the cabin room.

"They're a nice quiet place to think," Snaptrap stated, "Hey, Matt, if we get out of this, can I check out the air vents here? I've never been in a yacht vent."

Matt didn't answer. He didn't even seem to be paying attention. He just continued to stare at the air vent in deep thought. "Air vents," he whispered thoughtfully.

Slowly his eyes started to widen and a huge smile formed on his face. "The air vents," he whispered again. He started to chuckle softly which soon turned into quiet laughter. Pat, Snaptrap, and Zippy exchanged nervous glances, certain that the normally reserved rat was loosing it. "The air vents!" Matt exclaimed in contained excitement, "Of course! That's it! The air vents! Ha! Ha! Why didn't I see that before?!"

To everyone's complete shock, Matt grabbed Snaptrap and hugged him heartily. Freaked out, Snaptrap tuned to Pat and Zippy and whispered urgently: "Guys! Matt's gone off the deep end! You two distract him while I use the flashlight to knock 'im out!"

Matt released Snaptrap and ruffled his ears fondly. "Oh, I'm quite sane, Brother, regardless of my present behavior," Matt assured while grinning from ear to ear. "I'd never thought I'd say this Verminious, but _you_ are a genius!"

Snaptrap rubbed his ears dumbly, taken completely off guard by Matt's compliment. Pat and Zippy were also unnerved. Pat leaned closer to Snaptrap. "You won't hit 'im too hard, right?" She whispered.

Matt walked up to his siblings, bringing all of them and Zippy into a huddle. He motioned for all of them to be quiet as he explained:

"What I mean is that Verminious has unwittingly pointed out a means of escape. I just remembered that all the vents on this yacht are connected! If we can get this one opened, we can slip in and quietly make our way through the yacht. We can get to the engine room, remove the Scrambler Device, then make our way to the steering room and radio for help!"

"Really?" Pat spoke, also starting to sound excited, "That's fantastic! But, wait, there's one problem. The yacht is crawling with guards."

"I've thought of that as well, Sister," Matt replied, "As we make our way to the engine room, we can stop off at the vents over the cabins of the guests. We can loosen the screws on their vents and tell them to be ready. I'm sure the effects of the poison is starting to wear off by now. We can rally together a small army, so to speak."

"Then we _do_ have a chance!" Zippy exclaimed excitedly.

"Yes!" Snaptrap said, then he scratched his head. "Uh, but how are we gonna get the vent open?"

Matt turned to Zippy. "Zippy, do you think you could unscrew the bolts with your beak?"

Zippy looked towards the vent and flew up to it. After carefully examining the bolts, she turned to Matt. "I think I can do it," she said confidently.

Matt rubbed his hands together eagerly. "Excellent!" He said with a smile, "Go to it. Verminious, you keep the flashlight on the vent so Zippy can see the bolts. Pat and I will listen for anyone coming!"

Zippy went to work at the bolts while Matt and Pat went over to the room door, keeping their ears against it. Snaptrap watched Zippy as he kept the flashlight steady. He looked down at the picture he still held in his other hand and thought back to the conversation he just had with his siblings. A small smile began to form on his face. Though they never said it directly, he knew now that his siblings had been worried about him after his cheese ordeal. That was the first time in years they ever showed any concern for him.

And the picture. Not only did each of them clearly remember that day at the beach, but they all had the same picture in their rooms to boot. There was obviously something special about that day, that made each of them hold onto it in their hearts. Probably because...it was a day when they enjoyed being together. When they all felt at least a hint of love for each other. When they were truly happy...even their mom and their...

A pang of sadness suddenly tugged at Snaptrap's heart. He quickly shook his head as if trying to get something out of his mind. Well, anyways, it was no doubt that Snaptrap and his siblings held that day in great significance. None of them admitted it out loud, but it was obvious they all cherished it.

But most amazing of all for Snaptrap was a simple but great breakthrough: his siblings had told him he did good, and even sounded proud of him. And this time he wasn't in his Marzipan disguise. He was himself, Verminious Snaptrap, their little brother.

_Well done._

Snaptrap's smile grew wider. Maybe Zippy was right. Maybe...maybe it wasn't _entirely _hopeless for them. Just then a warning from Pat brought him out of his thoughts.

"Someone's coming!" She whispered urgently.

Zippy quickly zoomed down and hid inside Vincent while the rat siblings scattered through out the room to avoid looking suspicious. Snaptrap shoved Vincent (with Zippy inside it) under one of the beds and jumped on top. He quickly hid the flashlight under the pillow and rested his head on top of it. Matt sat in a chair while Pat sat upon the other bed. Just as they got to their places, the door opened and a guard pushed Colette into the room.

"Don't be causing any trouble!" He growled before slamming the door.

"Colette!" Matt exclaimed practically jumping up from the chair. He rushed over to her with concern. "Are-are you alright? They didn't hurt you did they?"

Colette gave him a reassuring smile. "I am fine, Matthew. They didn't do anything, they just tried to frighten me. I'm alright, really." She gave Matt a look of concern. "But...are you alright? After what happened out there..."

Matt sighed. "Oh, we're alright, just a bit shaken up."

Colette touched the collar on his turtleneck. "And they took your nice coat too," she sighed sympathetically."

Matt shrugged. "Well, heh, I-I have others at home."

Colette straightened out his collar. "Well, either way, you look handsome," She said with a slightly flirtatious smile.

Matt just grinned as his face turned a bit red. Snaptrap rolled his eyes. "Are we gonna have to go into the closet to give you two some alone time?" He asked.

Matt shot him an annoyed look. "I'm feeling pleasant towards you right now, don't ruin it," he warned.

Colette glanced in surprise at Snaptrap. "Oh, Snaptrap, you are back to normal, I see. I am glad. That was awful what those beasts did to you."

Snaptrap shrugged trying to sound casual. "Oh, it was nothing. I mean, it was just an allergy attack. No biggie."

Colette smiled. "I must admit, I was very impressive how you stood up to them."

Snaptrap just rubbed the back of his neck and smiled shyly. Pat looked at Colette curiously. "You know I'm surprised that they put you back in this room," she said, "You'd think they would've kept you somewhere else to keep Matt in check or something."

"What exactly are you insinuating?" Matt asked, a bit flustered.

Pat Gave a smug grin. "Come on, Matt, it's no secret. You'd do anything to make sure Colette was safe."

Matt's face turned even more red as he noticed Colette smiling at him. He gave a nervous cough. "Ahem! Er, yes, well, w-why _did_ they put you in here, Colette?" He asked.

Colette suddenly looked a bit nervous. "Oh, er, I-I'm not sure," she stuttered, "I...I couldn't make out what was going on exactly..."

Matt nodded. "Hmm, yes, who knows what's going on in Rabies and Catastrophe's minds, other than trying to get the engine started."

Colette sighed impatiently. "And who knows how long that will take. How hard can it be to fix a stupid boat engine?!"

Snaptrap was surprised by the anger and frustration in Colette's voice. "Sheesh, what are you so upset about? _We're_ the ones who'll be in trouble if it gets fixed."

"Um, well, that is because we are in complete darkness with the power off," Colette spoke a bit hesitantly, "You see I...I've never been too fond of the dark. Plus, I am getting a little hungry. I get a little moody sometimes when I have not eaten right away. I apologize For my outburst."

"No need to be sorry, Colette," Matt said sympathetically, "This incident is taking a toll on all of us. And it's been a long while since any of us have had a bite to eat. Even I'm starting to feel peckish. But there's no need to fret." He lowered his voice to a whisper: "You see, my siblings and I have actually come up with a plan of escape."

Colette's eyes widened. "Y-You have? How?"

"The vents," Matt answered, pointing to the one on the ceiling. "The whole ventilation system on this yacht is connected to all the rooms. We can make our way through it, and alert the guests of our plan. Once we get to the engine room, that's when we'll initiate a plan to fight against Rabies' and Catastrophe's forces."

"I pointed out the vents!" Snaptrap exclaimed proudly, "Tell her I pointed out the vents, Matt!"

Matt rolled his eyes in annoyance. "Verminious pointed out the vents," he said with a hopeless sigh.

"Why is the engine room so important?" Colette asked.

Matt smiled. "We know what made the engine stop. It turns out Verminious planted a sort of Scrambler Device on it that sends out scrambling waves that will shut down anny electronic device or machine. Unfortunately, he set the strength too high, and it ended up shutting down all the power on the yacht. Once we remove the device and switch it off, all power will turn back on, including the engine. Then we can radio for help."

Colette looked to the vent in uncertainty. "But how will we even get the vent off?"

Matt smiled craftily. "With our secret weapon. Verminious?"

Snaptrap peeked under the bed and brought Vincent out. "It's okay, Zip. Colette's with us," he said to the skull.

Colette gasped as the small hummingbird popped her head out of the skull's eye socket. "Hello!" Zippy greeted, flying out towards Colette.

The pretty skunk just blinked in shock. "Who...?"

"Colette, this is Zippy," Matt explained, "She's Birdbrain's assistant and the key to opening the vents. Her beak is just the right size for unscrewing the bolts."

Zippy did a little flip in the air. "Yup! I'll have that vent loose in two shakes of my tail!"

Colette looked from Zippy to Matt, a strange expression on her face. Then she smiled in delight. "Then escape is possible," she spoke softly, "And We can get the boat running again! Oh, Matthew, this is wonderful!"

She rushed over to Matt and planted a kiss on his cheek. The slender rat's face flushed a crimson red as a foolish grin formed on his face. Colette smiled back at him coyly.

"Hey!" Snaptrap exclaimed indignantly, "He wouldn't have even thought of all that if I hadn't brought up the vents!"

"Then Zippy can kiss ya, cause I sure as heck ain't doin' it," Pat said, rolling her eyes.

"Uh, no," Zippy replied in a deadpan voice.

"Alright! Alright!" Matt spoke urgently, regaining his composure, "Come on now, we haven't a moment to lose!"

Zippy flew back to the vent and continued loosening the screws. Matt watched her with the flashlight while Pat and Snaptrap listened at the room door. It took a little while, but soon Zippy was on the last screw. Matt stood on a chair and took hold of the vent so it wouldn't fall. The last screw finally fell off and landed on the floor with a slight tinkle. Matt carefully brought the vent grate down and rested it on the floor as Pat and Snaptrap eagerly ran over. Zippy darted up into the vent checking out it's dimensions.

"What do you think?" Matt asked.

"It looks big enough," Zippy called down, "I think you guys'll be able to fit."

Matt nodded and stared down at Snaptrap. "Verminious, I'll need you to help boost me up," he said.

Snaptrap stood next to the chair and braced himself as Matt stepped onto his shoulders. He held up his hands as Matt carefully placed one foot on each hand. With a grunt, Snaptrap pushed his brother up to the vent duct. Matt grabbed onto the edges and with great effort, pulled himself up into the vent.

"Well?" Pat asked excitedly.

"Zippy's right," Matt replied, scanning the duct, "We'll should be able to crawl right through."

"We'll have Colette go next," Pat suggested, "She looks pretty light. Hey, wait, where is Colette?"

"Yes, I am here!" Colette answered coming out of the restroom. "Pardone moi, um, I had to...powder my nose."

Snaptrap pointed to the vent. "Matt made it up already. You're next to go."

Colette came over and stared up at the vent. Matt looked down towards her with a reassuring smile. "It's alright, we'll all fit," he said.

Colette climbed onto the chair and onto Snaptrap's shoulders. It didn't take Snaptrap much effort to lift Colette up to the air vent. Matt reached down and got a firm grip on Colette's hands. With a great heave he pulled her up towards him. For a few seconds they were in each others' arms. Colette smiled shyly at Matthew, who grinned and gave a nervous gulp. He helped Colette move to the other side of the opening to make more room.

"Pat, you're next," Matt called down.

Snaptrap helped Pat up to the vent as Matt and Colette grabed her hands and hauled her up. Snaptrap looked up to the vent in a bit of uncertainty. Matt peeked out at him.

"Don't worry, we'll pull you up. We're not leaving you behind," he said with a smile.

Snaptrap smiled back and was about to climb onto the chair when he remembered something. He ran over to the bed he had been on and shoved something into his lab coat. He then darted back over to the chair and stood up on it. Pat peeked out from the duct, opposite of Matt.

"Try jumping up as high as you can and stretch out your arms," she instructed.

Snaptrap crouched down, readying himself, then gave a powerful leap straight up towards the duct. He stretched his arms out towards his brother and sister with all his might. Matt and Pat reached out and caught their brother, each one grabbing a hand. With a few straining grunts, they slowly pulled Snaptrap up. He scrambled into the vent duct, next to Matt. Zippy's head darted back and forth. There were two directions to choose from.

"Which way do we go?" She asked.

Matt looked towards both directions, giving the matter great thought. He nodded to the vent way behind him and Snaptrap.

"Let's try this way," he suggested. He started off, crawling on all fours followed by Snaptrap, Colette, then Pat. Zippy, meanwhile,hovered next to Matt. As they crawled through the dark air ducts, Matt looked back to Snaptrap.

"By the way, why did you go to the bed before coming up?" He asked.

Snaptrap reached into his lab coat and brought out a skull. "I had to get Vincent," he said, "I couldn't leave him behind."

Matt shook his head. "Of course," he said in a 'why did I bother to ask?' tone.

"I also went back for this," Snaptrap added, pulling out a piece of paper from his lab coat. Matt turned his head more to get a better look. It was the photograph they had looked at in the room, minus the frame. Snaptrap held the picture out to his brother.

"I'd thought you'd might want this," he said.

Pausing, Matt took the photograph and stared at it then back at Snaptrap. He gave his brother a small but appreciative smile. "Thank you," he said, gratefully.

"You're welcome," Snaptrap replied, returning the smile.

Matt tucked the photo carefully into his turtleneck sweater and continued to crawl through the air ducts, followed by the others. All the while hoping they were headed towards the engine room.

And freedom.

* * *

**Awww, sibling moment.^^**

**Snaptrap gave quite a rant earlier. Poor guy, after what he went through anyone would snap. But at least he and his siblings seem to patch things up. **

**I like to think these three had some good times together when they were wee pups. And just maybe those good times aren't ****completely forgotten. Notice I had them keep silent when the subject of their dad was brought up. I wanted to leave that purposely vague. So far in the show we've never heard mention of Snaptrap's dad...or Dudley and Kitty's for that matter. Interesting.**

**Couldn't resist putting in that sweet moment between Matt and Colette.^^**

**Glad Snaptrap and his siblings worked things out. But will they make it out of this?**


End file.
